Real Madrid News
Real Madrid new signing struggles for prominence after rejecting Barcelona over game-time promise
Bernardo Silva has slipped out of Jose Mourinho’s plans. The Portuguese midfielder has played just eight minutes across Real Madrid’s last two La Liga matches.
He was an unused substitute against Elche before coming on late against Atletico Madrid, where he provided the assist for Antonio Rüdiger’s goal.
Meanwhile, Barcelona, the club Bernardo came close to joining during the summer, are leading La Liga.
The 32-year-old was free to negotiate with any club after leaving Manchester City at the end of his contract.
Barcelona move collapsed over money and playing time
According to SPORT, Bernardo wanted to join Barcelona, but the financial expectations surrounding a potential deal and his desire to be a guaranteed starter ultimately prevented an agreement.
Hansi Flick could not promise him a regular starting role given the competition for places in Barcelona’s midfield.
Bernardo also attracted interest from Atletico Madrid, but ultimately chose to join Real Madrid.
Only three starts in his last five league matches
Bernardo began the season as a starter in Real Madrid’s opening two La Liga fixtures against Espanyol and Real Sociedad.
His involvement has since declined considerably. He has started only one of Real Madrid’s last five league matches, against Rayo Vallecano in a 4-1 victory.
He was also unavailable for the Champions League victory over Inter Milan because of suspension.
Across the Merengues’ last two league fixtures, Bernardo has managed only eight minutes, highlighting his reduced role just before the international break.
Mourinho prefers Valverde and Tchouameni
Despite some questions surrounding Real Madrid’s control and midfield performances, Mourinho has largely settled on Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni as his preferred double pivot.
Valverde has started every match this season, making him a constant presence in Mourinho’s XI.
Tchouameni has also become increasingly important since fully recovering from his injury. He has started Madrid’s last two matches and will remain in Spain during the current three-week international break after not being included in France’s squad.
Bernardo, by contrast, has been pushed down the pecking order. The Portuguese has yet to establish himself in Mourinho’s system, either on the right side or in the double pivot.
His situation is particularly notable given that regular playing time was one of the factors surrounding his decision to join Madrid rather than Barcelona.
For now, Bernardo faces the task of finding a regular role in Mourinho’s plans after making the move to Real Madrid with the expectation of being a more prominent part of the starting XI.
Real Madrid News
Mbappe hits out at claims on his unhappiness at Real Madrid: ‘Angry at my great aunt too’
Kylian Mbappe has been in the news for a plethora of reasons in recent weeks, starting with his injury and surprise vacation. Beyond that, the Ballon d’Or saga has kept him in the spotlight for a reasonable while now.
The Frenchman, after all, has not held back in speaking out about why he deserves to win the prestigious individual award, and while it is perfectly okay to campaign for the award, it is something that has not usually been done in the past.
In terms of his goalscoring numbers, there is no doubt that Mbappe should be a frontrunner for the award. His lack of a single trophy for both club and country, however, works against his chances.
Mbappe’s sarcastic reply to baseless rumours
Earlier today, there were reports of Kylian Mbappe being angry with Zinedine Zidane and Real Madrid for not campaigning for him to win the Ballon d’Or this year.
The rumours, needless to say, portrayed the player in a very bad light and made it seem like the club not making public gestures to acknowledge and back his campaign affected him personally.
Now, the player has himself come out to lash out at the journalists, albeit in a sarcastic manner. Commenting directly below the post making the claim via Fabrizio Romano, the player wrote,
“Yes, yes, I even got angry with my great aunt too.”
Mbappe’s ability to deal with such reports with a tinge of humour, needless to say, is impressive and it can only be good for his image that he spoke out and cut off the news at its roots.
Set to return
There has been significant concern around Mbappe’s fitness in recent weeks after the player left the French national team with an injury after their first game.
The initial diagnosis appeared worrying, but it soon came to light that the player had avoided a major setback by a hair’s breadth.
Now, there is increasing hope that the Frenchman will be back for Real Madrid’s first game after the break against Villarreal, possibly even as a starter.
Needless to say, that comes as a massive positive for Jose Mourinho’s plans ahead of a crucial stretch of the season.
