Real Madrid News
Real Madrid open the door for out-of-favour star to leave in January
There was always hope of light at the end of the tunnel when it came to Eden Hazard at Real Madrid. After his initial struggles to break into the starting XI immediately after his arrival, the management and fans waited patiently hoping for him to unleash his best. Alas, it was not to be.
The patience has finally run out, three years after his arrival, and Real Madrid see it as a priority to part ways with the former Chelsea star. According to reports from MARCA (h/t Madrid Xtra), Los Blancos have opened the door for Hazard to leave in January.
After a disappointing start to the new season, the Belgian international also struggled to make an impact for his national team at the FIFA World Cup and announced his international retirement immediately after the Red Devils’ exit from the tournament.
The 31-year-old started Belgium’s first two group stages and looked lost on the field, prompting the manager to start him on the bench for the third and final game. He did not contribute to any goal, took just one shot in the entire tournament and managed less than 30 touches per game.
Recent reports suggested that the Serie A could be his next destination with Inter Milan being particularly interested. His current contract runs until the summer of 2024, but Carlo Ancelotti’s side are clear that they are ready to sanction an exit for the former Chelsea ace at the earliest.
Hazard has only made three La Liga appearances for Real Madrid in La Liga this season and is yet to score a goal. His only goal of the term came in the team’s 3-0 win over Celtic in the UEFA Champions League.
While a departure in January would favour all parties involved, Hazard has previously insisted that he would not consider leaving in the winter. So, it will be interesting to see if Ancelotti continues to trust the player if he fails to secure an exit.
Real Madrid News
Mourinho talks Carlos Espi, Diomande, Guler, Tchouameni, Atletico Madrid after Elche 2-3 Real Madrid
Real Madrid found another way to win, but Jose Mourinho was hardly celebrating the manner of it.
Carlos Espi’s injury-time strike completed a 3-2 comeback against Elche, rescuing Madrid after they had surrendered control of a game that appeared to be in their hands.
For Mourinho, the result was welcome, but the performance raised a familiar concern.
“When everything seems easy and you let things slide, it’s dangerous. Then the team reacts and wins, but it’s not pleasant.
“The other good thing is that nobody gets bored with these matches. They’re fun,” he began saying.
Mourinho knows what is going wrong
The Portuguese coach was particularly frustrated by another drop in intensity after the interval.
Real Madrid had opportunities to put the game beyond Elche before allowing their advantage to disappear. Mourinho believes that pattern is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
“It seems obvious to me. It’s easy to understand. These are games that are all but over, where we have chances to seal the deal but don’t. After failing to do so, we go from having it easy to losing control.
“If we play poorly from the first minute to the 90th, the concern is huge.
“If we have periods where we’re at our best and others where we’re not proactive, just waiting, lacking intensity… Of course it’s a concern. But we won.”
The win keeps Madrid moving, but Mourinho’s concern is less about the points than the way his team is repeatedly making matches unnecessarily complicated.
Carlos Espi again provided the decisive moment from the bench, although Mourinho knows breaking into the starting XI will be difficult with Mbappé ahead of him.
“He’s a guy who works hard and is very motivated,” Mourinho said.
He then added, “He’s up against a player who’s in a league of his own (Mbappe), and we’re well aware of that.”
Madrid derby comes at a delicate moment
Next up is Atletico Madrid, and Mourinho’s attention is already turning towards the derby.
Rather than focusing on the opposition, he remains concerned about his own side’s ability to manage matches.
“The only explanation I can find is that we can’t keep going like this. We misjudged the opportunities we had, and once they score a goal, everything changes,” explained the Real Madrid coach.
Meanwhile, there were positives to take from individual performances, as Mourinho praised Yan Diomande’s development after another energetic outing.
“He’s improving. Physically, you can tell he has more minutes under his belt. He has a great work ethic and intelligence—he’s done a great job.”
Mourinho refuses to call Guler indispensable
Arda Guler’s importance was also questioned after another fantastic performance, but Mourinho rejected the idea that any player is beyond replacement.
“No, no one is indispensable. We were losing control when I made the substitutions; Vini did a great job on defence, but he was very tired.
“And Arda, who was playing in the number 10 position, was also losing intensity.
“I brought in a fresh Jude and Brahim when we were down 0-2, but I could sense we were losing control. That’s how it goes for us. And then, we brought in the heavy artillery and turned it around.”
Mourinho was also pleased with Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde during Madrid’s strongest spells.
“When the team was playing well, he and Valverde were playing well. They broke through the pressure easily, with skill.
“But the game had two phases—or rather three: one until it was 0–2, another until it was 2–2, and another until the end. They did a good job,” he concluded.
Source: AS
