Real Madrid News
Real Madrid defender determined to turn things around after difficult season
Jose Mourinho pushed for the signing of Ibrahima Konate for his first season back at Real Madrid, and his persistent pressure on the board to bring in a central defender showed that he did not trust the existing core completely.
If reports are to be believed, the manager is pushing hard for the signing of yet another defender this summer, and Eder Militao is the only current defender whom he rates highly.
The players worst hit by his stance, thus, are Dean Huijsen and Raul Asencio, both of whom seemingly are not central to Mourinho’s plans.
While the manager is pushing for the latter to leave, however, the former continues to have a chance of making his presence felt.
Huijsen’s strong stance
As reported by Diario AS (h/t Madrid Xtra), Dean Huijsen knows that his first season as a Real Madrid player did not quite go to plan and that he did not enjoy his best campaign by any measure.
He realises that his campaign, performances and consistency were far from perfect and that he has a lot to work on. That, coupled with his exclusion from Spain’s World Cup squad, has lit a ‘fire in him.’
Huijsen is prepared to put the events and disappointments of last season behind him and wishes to start on a fresh page.
He hopes to impress the new manager, Jose Mourinho, and show him why he is so highly rated as a defensive talent.
A strong start
The Spanish outlet further reports that the young defender worked tirelessly during the one-month break he had after the end of last season. Mourinho, in fact, is said to be surprised by Huijsen’s condition.
The player has already begun training under the new manager’s command from Monday and has impressed in the pre-season sessions so far.
He has arrived in excellent touch and fitness and is leaving no stone unturned to prove his point.
Should the Spaniard keep up the same level of performance and training displays, nothing is stopping him from taking a starting spot in Mourinho’s starting XI.
After all, Konate is the only young and fit defender whom Mourinho currently counts on.
After a month into the new season, Aurelien Tchouameni is finally back in action for Real Madrid.
The Frenchman made his first appearance of the season for the Merengues last night against Inter Milan after recovering from the muscular injury that delayed his campaign.
His return to fitness had raised questions over where he would fit into Mourinho’s plans.
Tchouameni has been a regular in Real Madrid’s midfield for several seasons under different managers, but the end of last season was far less straightforward.
His confrontation with Federico Valverde, combined with speculation over his future at the club, created uncertainty about his position. His lack of a proper pre-season also appeared to put him behind other midfield options.
Bernardo Silva had established himself as an important figure, while Eduardo Camavinga was also ahead of Tchouameni in terms of match fitness.
With Real Madrid looking for greater creativity in midfield, there were questions over whether the Frenchman would still be a first-choice player.
Key for Mourinho
According to AS (h/t Bernabeu Digital), however, Mourinho has no such doubts. Tchouameni remains a key player for the Portuguese coach and is expected to be a starter.
Mourinho sees the French international as a midfielder without a direct replacement in the squad.
For Jose, Tchouameni provides something that none of the other midfielders in the squad do – a more defensive and positional presence, combining his tactical discipline with considerable physical strength.
His ability to shield the defence and provide balance could be particularly important for a Real Madrid side that want to defend aggressively and attack quickly in transition.
For that reason, his absence at the start of the campaign has not changed the manager’s view of his importance.
Mourinho faces a midfield selection problem
The challenge for Mourinho now is finding a way to fit all the pieces together.
If Tchouameni is guaranteed a starting position and Valverde is considered untouchable as captain, the obvious consequence is that Bernardo could find himself starting from the bench.
The summer arrival had been given an important role in helping Real Madrid control and distribute possession from deeper positions.
However, with Tchouameni and Valverde both occupying midfield places, Mourinho cannot accommodate everyone in the same lineup.
How the Portuguese coach manages that competition will be interesting to see in the coming weeks.
