Real Madrid News
Real Madrid rally around young midfielder facing a crisis of confidence – report
According to AS, everyone at Real Madrid has rallied around Eduardo Camavinga during a particularly difficult period of his career.
After making it clear that he had no intention of leaving the club this summer, Camavinga has received the full backing of the dressing room and coaching staff.
While Real Madrid remained open to a transfer during the summer, they did not turn their backs on the midfielder.
Instead, the focus throughout has been on helping him rediscover his touch, confidence and the level of performance he has shown he is capable of reaching.
Within the club, there is a determination to support him and help him get back to his best.
The real problem has been confidence
The feeling at Valdebebas is that Camavinga’s biggest issue has been psychological rather than physical or technical.
His poor end to last season, compounded by his sending-off against Bayern Munich and the disappointment of missing the World Cup, left him badly affected. From there, the task has been to rebuild his confidence.
It was never considered a question of fitness, nor of his basic footballing ability. The bigger challenge has been getting Camavinga’s mindset back to where it needs to be. That is why the club’s support has been so important.
Mourinho backs Camavinga
New manager Jose Mourinho was particularly strong in his defence of Camavinga after the match against Malaga.
“Today, a boy who isn’t very loved… played a great game, Camavinga. I’m very happy with the response he gave. I saw a lot of commitment,” he said.
Camavinga started against Malaga this past weekend and completed the full 90 minutes, producing some encouraging numbers.
He completed 64 passes, the third-highest total in the team. He was also Real Madrid’s leader for recoveries (9), while his 83 touches ranked him third for involvement.
There were still mistakes during the game, some of which drew whistles from the Bernabeu. Nevertheless, his overall display helped repair some of the damage to his reputation.
Camavinga determined to stay
The transfer situation has been clear for several weeks. Real Madrid had been open to selling Camavinga, but the player was always determined to remain at the club. His firm stance effectively stopped any potential deal from developing.
Furthermore, no offer arrived at the Bernabeu close to the figure Real Madrid were planning to demand either, with the club valuing him at a minimum of €70 million.
Camavinga has been working with Mourinho since 13 July, when the manager’s new project began. The relationship between the pair is good, even though both understand that breaking into the starting XI will be difficult.
Federico Valverde is considered indispensable, while competition for the other midfield position is expected to be fierce, with Aurelien Tchouameni and Bernardo Silva also in the picture.
Camavinga understands the doubts surrounding him and knows how far his performances have fallen. But he wants to stay and fight his way back.
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.
