Real Madrid News
Real Madrid midfielder has no intention to leave the club; wants to convince Mourinho
Heading into the new season, Eduardo Camavinga has attracted a lot of eyeballs, especially after enduring a difficult campaign last term.
The Frenchman was one of the least-performing midfielders in a season that saw Real Madrid go trophyless once again.
Naturally, there was a lot of pressure on Camavinga, with many fans even calling for his departure in order to fund move for new midfielders.
Camavinga doesn’t want to leave
However, Camavinga has no desire to leave Real Madrid anytime soon and wants to fight for his place in the team, according to a report from Diario AS.
The former Rennes starlet wants to prove Jose Mourinho his worth, having been subjected to much criticism even from Real Madrid supporters.
The club, for its part, are not opposed to selling Camavinga this summer. But the player remains steadfast in his bid to stay and impress Mourinho.
This is despite the fact that Real Madrid are openly searching for a new midfielder this summer, having missed out on Rodri.
Support from Vinicius Jr.
Thankfully for Camavinga, the Frenchman has received some much-needed support from none other than Vinicius Jr.
The Brazilian international, who has recently renewed his contract, has reacted to critics online by posting a photo with Camavinga with the ‘general’ emoji.
The report even highlights how Vinicius’ aura inside the dressing room has changed and as one of the leaders in the team, he is looking to back everyone up.
This is a breath of fresh air for Camavinga, who is gearing up for perhaps his most important season at the Bernabeu.
Real Madrid, after all, have been ruthless with their sales so far and are expected to sanction the departure of many youth players this summer.
It remains to be seen if Camavinga is among the list of players leaving the Bernabeu by the end of the summer transfer window.
Real Madrid’s adventure so far under new coach Jose Mourinho has been far from perfect and this fact shouldn’t be lost even after the team’s brilliant comeback win over AS Roma in midweek.
However, there are areas where Los Blancos have shown a clear improvement under Mourinho, when compared to previous bosses such as Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa.
One of those areas has been set plays, with Real Madrid appearing far more potent from set pieces this season.
A clear improvement from last season
As reported by Diario AS, the three goals in Rome, all from Arda Guler corners inside a seven-minute blitz, were the perfect advert for the work being done at Valdebebas.
Those strikes took Real Madrid’s set-piece tally to seven goals in just ten matches this season. Four of them have come in La Liga, one from a corner and three from free kicks, with the trio in Rome completing the haul.
It is a striking figure when set against last season’s return. Under Alonso and Arbeloa, Madrid managed 12 set-piece goals across the entire campaign, all in La Liga, split evenly between six from corners and six from free kicks.
On current trends, this side looks well placed to surpass that number comfortably.
The reason behind Real Madrid’s improvement
Attacking set pieces are led at Valdebebas by Pedro Machado, with the whole coaching staff involved and Mourinho himself giving the final green light on every routine.
Defending them, meanwhile, falls to Sami Khedira, though it is treated as a collective effort. Mourinho’s appreciation of that teamwork was clear when Bellingham headed in a Guler free kick against Espanyol, prompting the manager to leap up and embrace his assistants.
Machado, one of Mourinho’s most trusted lieutenants, has followed him from Fenerbahce to Benfica and now Madrid, part of a backroom team blending experience with young, ambitious talent.
On the pitch, Guler is the undisputed master when available, his left foot the key weapon, with Bernardo Silva, Trent Alexander-Arnold and even Diomande also trusted to initiate attacks.
Such meticulous strategy has helped Real Madrid turn into a potent side from set-pieces this season.
