Real Madrid News
Real Madrid youngster seen as a left-back and not a midfielder by national team manager
According to reports from Fabrice Hawkins, Eduardo Camavinga’s upcoming call-up to the French National Team will not be as a midfielder as one would expect. Didier Deschamps is said to see the youngster as more of a left-back than a force in midfield as reported by Andres Onrubia.
Thus, Camavinga is expected to serve as a backup option to Theo Hernandez in the upcoming international break and will cover the full-back position for his country.
It is not the first time the 20-year-old will play a makeshift role on the international stage. The youngster started as a left-back in France’s group-stage match against Tunisia in the Qatar World Cup and made a whopping 38 defensive actions on that single night.
Deschamps’ idea may not be baseless but is confusing nevertheless. The former Rennes man has indeed covered at left-back for Real Madrid in recent weeks, but it is clear that his output in defence is not nearly half as good as in his niche.
Los Blancos’ most recent game against Espanyol is the best example of why Camavinga is not an ideal full-back. The youngster was bamboozled by the Catalan team for a significant part of the game and was directly responsible for the goal conceded on the night.
With Paul Pobga and N’Golo Kante still not fully fit, the need for fresh legs in midfield for Les Bleus is real. Thus, it would not be surprising if Deschamps ends up changing his mind about Camavinga in the weeks to come.
The French star has played in all 25 of Real Madrid’s La Liga games so far this season and has started on 13 occasions. In that duration, he has provided one assist and averages 0.6 key passes per game.
Real Madrid News
Rayo Vallecano manager names the one Real Madrid figure he would remove from the team
Rayo Vallecano face a daunting trip to the Santiago Bernabeu to take on a wounded Real Madrid this weekend.
Life after Inigo Perez has not been kind to the Vallecas-based club, who have already had to travel to Camp Nou and now face a trip to the home of their city giants.
Speaking ahead of the game (h/t Madrid Xtra), Rayo Vallecano manager Benat San Jose was asked which Real Madrid player he would like to remove from the team before this weekend’s game.
Surprisingly, his choice was not Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior or Thibaut Courtois.
“Mourinho”
Asked which Madrid player he would take out of the upcoming contest, Benat jokingly chose the man sitting on the opposition bench.
“Which Real Madrid player I’d remove from the match against them? Mourinho,” Benat said with a laugh.
The answer might have been delivered jokingly, but the Rayo coach immediately made clear just how highly he rates the Portuguese manager.
“He’s one of the best managers in history,” he added.
It is significant praise ahead of Saturday’s meeting at the Bernabeu.
Madrid’s squad contains enough individual quality to give any opposition coach several obvious answers, but Benat instead highlighted the influence Mourinho can have over the entire team.
That has become particularly relevant since the Portuguese coach returned to Madrid. His early work has focused on making a talented group function with greater collective discipline.
Courtois and Madrid’s attack also praised
Benat did not stop with the manager.
“They also have one of the best GKs in history and one of the best attackers in history,” he said.
Benat will definitely have seen how Thibaut Courtois played against Inter Milan in midweek and will hope that version does not turn up again this weekend.
Even when teams manage to create opportunities against Madrid, they still have to beat one of the defining goalkeepers of his generation.
At the opposite end, Madrid possess attacking quality capable of turning a match on its head.
The likes of Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham can all decide matches single-handedly.
Madrid have a point to prove
Madrid are coming off a disappointing loss to Real Betis in La Liga last weekend and will come into this game with a point to prove.
They will want to ensure that the loss to the Andalusian club was a one-off and that they return to winning ways against Rayo.
Their title rivals, Barça, have been flying high in the league, scoring goals and picking opponents apart for fun.
Madrid need to ensure that they do not hand too much early incentive to Barça, and it remains to be seen how Los Blancos fare against Rayo Vallecano.
