Real Madrid News
Real Madrid veteran duo will continue to remain vital cogs in Ancelotti’s plans – report
Real Madrid are home to some of the most talented young players in world football at the moment, with a recent report from CIES claiming that six of the 15 most valuable players in the world currently ply their trade at the Bernabeu.
At the same time, though, the club have also retained the services of some of the old guards in the form of Toni Kroos and Luka Modric.
Kroos has recently extended his contract with Los Blancos and while there were initial uncertainties surrounding the future of Modric, the Croatian, too, penned a new deal last month.
According to MARCA (h/t Madrid Zone), Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has still retained his trust in two of these old midfield guards. The Italian coach rates them highly and the two legendary midfielders are likely to retain their status as integral members of his plans.
Ancelotti believes both Modric and Kroos have all the qualities required to thrive in his 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 systems or any other formation he deploys. This comes even after Real Madrid’s high-profile acquisitions of Jude Bellingham and Arda Guler.
There were whispers Ancelotti might shift to a different formation in order to incorporate Bellingham into the team. And it appears the Real Madrid veterans will continue to remain vital cogs in the manager’s plans, irrespective of which formation he plays.
Bellingham, though, may still play a crucial role in the team, especially in the number ten position in a potential 4-2-3-1 setup. The presence of seasoned veterans like Modric and Kroos might just help players such as him, Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni develop quickly.
This could ultimately set off a very stable transition for Real Madrid, as they look to build a strong foundation for the future.
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.
