Real Madrid News
Real Madrid full-back receives medical green light to return against Union Berlin – report
A report from Spanish publication AS has affirmed that 28-year-old left-back Ferland Mendy has been given the green light to participate in Real Madrid’s upcoming home game against Union Berlin in the UEFA Champions League.
However, the report also adds that although he will be with the squad tomorrow, Fran Garcia will be Carlo Ancelotti’s first-choice left-back against the German team.
Mendy has been training for a week
The outlet writes that Mendy has been training with the group the whole week. In fact, the Frenchman was available for selection even against Real Sociedad, but he was not deemed 100% match-fit.
Since the coaching staff did not want to take any chances with the player, he was excluded from the matchday squad altogether.
As of today, though, the Frenchman has received the green signal from the medical team, but it is highly unlikely that he will be getting a place in the starting XI.
Why Garcia over Mendy?
The simple answer to this question would be competitive rhythm and recent performance. The 24-year-old has started each of Real Madrid’s five league games this season and manager Carlo Ancelotti would not want to break his tempo.
Above all, the player is coming on the back of two assists against Sociedad, and a performance of similar magnitude is expected this time around as well.
Meanwhile, despite having the most assists in the league for Real Madrid this season, the player has his limitations.
Against Sociedad, there were occasions when he looked like a mere puppet of Takefusa Kubo.
The Japanese’s blistering pace and trickery were simply too hard to handle for Garcia, but he did manage to minimize the threat in the second period.
But given Mendy’s repeated injury woes and his lack of game-time, it makes sense for Ancelotti to stick with Garcia tomorrow.
Real Madrid News
Former Arsenal defender marvels at Real Madrid new signing’s positive start: “It’s crazy”
Former Arsenal defender Lauren Bisan-Etame, who now happens to be a FIFA technical expert, has broken down Jude Bellingham’s perfect start to his new life at Real Madrid, saying that although there is a lot of pressure on the midfielder, he seems to be thriving on it.
Bellingham has made a perfect start to his Real Madrid tenure following his €103 million from Borussia Dortmund this summer.
Despite being a midfielder, the 20-year-old has already scored six goals in seven outings across all competitions, with three of them being match-winners.
Thriving under the pressure
While speaking about Bellingham’s adaptation, Lauren said that the midfielder seems very comfortable with the pressure he has on his shoulders.
“We’ve seen so many players go to Real Madrid, and once they put that shirt on, they shrink,” Lauren explained as quoted by El Desmarque.
“There is a lot of pressure that comes with the jersey and Bellingham seems comfortable with that pressure, he likes the pressure. The fact that he is such a young player with so much personality is fantastic for him,” he added.
Basic instinct
Lauren, who also worked as an Arsenal ambassador, further explained that the reason why Bellingham has scored six goals at this rate is because of his positional awareness.
He added that the midfielder is capable of sniffing a goalscoring opportunity and the fact that he has connected so well with Toni Kroos and Federico Valverde is simply brilliant.
“He’s already scored five goals in the league, he’s got a winning goal in the Champions League and he’s only 20 years old – it’s crazy. What I like most about him is that he has the instinct to be in the right position at the right moment and knows how to sniff out opportunities in the area.
“In addition, he has connected very well with Toni Kroos and Federico Valverde in the Real Madrid midfield,” he explained.
Lastly, the 46-year-old admitted that if he had gotten an opportunity to play for Real Madrid at 20 years of age, he wouldn’t have the courage to take the step.
“In my time as a player, young people couldn’t play for Real Madrid because they didn’t have patience. So in my time, there is no way I would have chosen Real Madrid instead of the Premier League.
“Now it seems that Real Madrid has changed its strategy and is signing young talents from all over the world. They are mixing youngsters from Spain with youngsters from all over the world. As it is now, I would sign for Madrid, but in my time, no way!”
