Real Madrid News
Real Madrid forward sends message to Barcelona ace Gavi after ACL injury
Real Madrid have had to deal with a difficult international break as they lost two key players, Eduardo Camavinga and Vinicius Jr., to injuries while away on national team duty.
Last night, Los Blancos’ arch-rivals, Barcelona, were also dealt with a major injury setback as star midfielder Gavi seemed to suffer a major knee injury during Spain’s UEFA Euro 2024 qualifier against Georgia.
The teenage midfielder left the pitch in tears after being taken off and initial reports suggest that his season could be over as he is understood to have suffered an ACL injury, much like Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois and Eder Militao.
Joselu sends a message to Gavi
Soon after the injury, Real Madrid forward Joselu was spotted comforting Gavi on the sidelines as the youngster trudged off the pitch in pain and in tears.
And following the completion of the game between Spain and Georgia, the veteran striker took to social media to send a message to the Barcelona youngster after the unfortunate injury.
Posting a picture of himself and Gavi, Joselu wrote: “We are with you Gavi. You will come back stronger than ever.”
The sheer number of injuries occurring in the international break are bound to raise questions about the workload on the players.
The governing bodies must be held accountable for the situation as footballers at top clubs are having to play around 60+ games for club and country per season.
Real Madrid News
Mourinho reacts to Vinicius suspension: “Why announce it two hours before an important match?”
Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has questioned the RFEF Disciplinary Committee’s decision to announce Vinicius Jr.’s four-match suspension just hours before their UEFA Champions League meeting with AS Roma on Wednesday.
The Brazilian has been hit with a four-match ban for his red card against Villarreal, meaning he will miss the matches against Sevilla, Barcelona, Racing Santander, and Valencia.
And, speaking to Movistar+ (h/t MARCA) before the match, the Real Madrid manager was asked whether the punishment could affect the Brazilian psychologically.
Mourinho instead turned his attention to the football authorities and the timing of their announcement.
“I think that is a question for the Committee. Why have they announced the suspension at this particular moment? If you are asking me this question, it is presumably because you think it could affect him,” the Portuguese coach replied.
“You should ask the Committee why they did not announce it this morning, or tomorrow morning. Why do they do it two hours before a match that is important for Real Madrid, which is a Spanish club?” he added, questioning the timing of the decision.
Mourinho explains his tactical approach against Roma
The Real Madrid manager also outlined his plan for facing a Roma side known for their aggressive pressing.
“My intention is to stop them from pressing us so high up the pitch, given the players we have available and as a precaution,” he said.
Continuing, the Portuguese manager added: “They press man-to-man higher up the pitch better than anyone else, and we will see whether we can take advantage of that. If not, they will have to drop their press five or ten metres.”
Why Rudiger over Huijsen
Mourinho also justified his decision to start Antonio Rudiger at centre-back alongside Ibrahima Konate rather than Dean Huijsen.
“They played very well together in the last match, Rudiger and Konate, showing great leadership and the ability to withstand a difficult situation when we had ten men for 30 minutes,” he said.
“I am not saying Dean is not capable of playing a match like this, but this is a wonderful atmosphere for Roma and a difficult one for us. I think a player with Antonio’s experience can be important,” Mourinho added.
Finally, Mourinho was asked about his emotions ahead of returning to face Roma, the club he managed between 2021 and 2024.
The Portuguese coach offered a brief response, saying that he had his feelings about the occasion “blocked”.
