Real Madrid News
Real Madrid plan to offload Belgian international at the end of the season
Real Madrid are bracing itself for a summer of change. With the club facing immense pressure to sort out the contract situations of multiple players, many are expecting a series of departures from Santiago Bernabeu in the coming summer.
One of the players who is poised to leave the Spanish capital is Eden Hazard. The Belgian attacker has fallen out of favour completely under Carlo Ancelotti and has no place in the side after years of underperformance.
Since joining the club in 2019, Hazard has scored only seven goals in 73 competitive matches for Real Madrid. Injuries have not helped his cause either, ultimately resulting in him falling behind in the pecking order.
In light of his struggles, Real Madrid intend to offload Eden Hazard at the end of the season. That is the club’s number one plan with the forward in the coming summer, according to Fabrizio Romano (h/t Madrid Xtra).
The Italian journalist adds that Real Madrid’s plans will not alter under any circumstances, as long as Ancelotti is in charge. The Italian’s exit, though, may lead to a slight alteration of plans, especially if the new manager likes the Belgian.
While Ancelotti’s job seemed safe not more than a few months ago, the Italian’s future at Bernabeu has appeared quite doubtful in recent weeks, especially amid poor performances and constant links to the Brazilian national team.
Ancelotti himself has started to doubt Real Madrid’s faith in him. The Italian tactician himself believes he could leave Santiago Bernabeu if the club fail to deliver anything come the end of the season.
Ancelotti’s departure could work in favour of Hazard, who may have a surprising last opportunity to make an impression under the potential new manager. However, given the club’s immediate need to generate new capital, it will be favourable for Real Madrid to offload Hazard in the summer, considering the player’s contract expires in 2024.
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
