Real Madrid News
Real Madrid veteran ‘closer than ever’ to renewing his contract
Despite Real Madrid looking to make the transition to the next generation in defence, Antonio Rudiger has continually given the manager no reason to drop him and has come in the way of the club’s long-term goal.
The German star, after all, has always been one to place the club over his personal interests since he joined Real Madrid, and played through knee pain for months to ensure the club had him available during a critical phase of the previous season.
“I put my own health aside and wanted to be 100% for Real Madrid because there’s nothing I hate more than letting my teammates down,” he confessed in a recent interview.
A renewal is close
In recent days, it came to light that Real Madrid and Antonio Rudiger were in talks to extend the player’s contract by one season with a reduction in wages.
Now, Diario AS confirm that Rudiger is closer than ever to renewing his deal with Los Blancos, putting an end to all the speculation regarding his future.
His current deal is set to run out in June, but the club highly value his dedication and the consistency he has brought in defence for them this season, and will thus reward him with an added year on his deal.
Moreover, Rudiger’s physical condition has also taken a steep turn towards improvement since late January and he is now able to take on back-to-back games in a hectic schedule for the club.
In fact, he has already started six of the team’s last seven games and eight of their last ten.
Heading into the business end of the season, Rudiger seems set to be a regular starter for Alvaro Arbeloa, likely alongside Eder Militao.
As the quality of opposition increases deeper into events like the UEFA Champions League, his experience will be key for Los Blancos. Tonight’s game against Bayern Munich will be the first such test for Rudiger.
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.
