Real Madrid News
Real Madrid veteran seen as ‘untouchable’ by Ancelotti amid Jude Bellingham links
Real Madrid are anticipating widespread changes in their squad at the end of the season, especially as they have a bunch of players that are expected to run down their contracts in 2023.
One of them is Luka Modric. The veteran midfielder’s current deal at Santiago Bernabeu expires at the end of the season and at the age of 37, there are very few players who can continue at the top level, especially at a club like Real Madrid.
Fortunately for Los Blancos, Modric is one of those players. Even in the twilight years of his career, the former Ballon d’Or winner has continued to set an example to the rest of the squad. He has also given no indications or hints about a potential retirement from club football.
According to AS, the feeling is mutual in the Real Madrid camp. For coach Carlo Ancelotti, Modric’s status in the first team is non-negotiable. The club are determined to keep hold of him for one more season, at the very least.
The report suggests Modric’s role in the team will not be altered by the arrival of any new midfielder. Real Madrid, after all, have been closely linked with moves for Jude Bellingham and Enzo Fernandez, with the club even reportedly willing to offer a bumper €60 million contract for the former.
The general consensus in the Real Madrid camp is that Modric should continue even after either of these two youngsters arrive at the club. They expect the Croatian international to play a vital role in guiding the young players in the team before eventually hanging up his boots.
In the meantime, though, Modric will be looking to restart the season on a positive note as Real Madrid take on Real Valladolid at the end of the month. The veteran, though, might not be available for the clash, having had a relatively longer World Cup campaign than the majority of his teammates.
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.
