Real Madrid News
Turkish giants optimistic about reaching agreement for Real Madrid superstar
It is a dream of even the world’s best footballers to play for Real Madrid. Needless to say, it is a special chance when a player is offered to don the prestigious white jersey of inarguably the greatest club of all time. All don’t seize the chance equally well, though.
Eden Hazard serves as the perfect example a ruined golden opportunity. The Belgian signed for Los Blancos in 2019, his dream club, but and his career has gone downhill ever since.
According to reports from Fotomac, there is interest from Galatasaray to sign Eden Hazard. The Turkish side are preparing an offer for the Belgian and are optimistic about reaching an agreement with Real Madrid to sign him this summer.
Given that the player is still 31 years old, it is difficult to believe that his stocks have fallen to such a low. For a player who was once dubbed to be amongst the best in Europe to move to the Turkish League at such a young age is unfathomable.
Last season, the Belgian won La Liga and the UEFA Champions League with Real Madrid but only made 18 league appearances. In that duration, he failed to find the back of the net and provided just one assist.
He returned to training this season with more conviction and is said to have impressed Carlo Ancelotti with his desire to succeed. The manager recently confirmed to the press that he will count on the Belgian,
“Hazard? He did a great job in tight spaces, he’s training well and he’s taking his time.”
The value of Galatasaray’s offer has not been revealed and Real Madrid could be tempted to sell the player if the proposed fee is satisfactory. If Hazard stays, he is expected to play as a backup for Karim Benzema.
Real Madrid News
Mourinho talks Carlos Espi, Diomande, Guler, Tchouameni, Atletico Madrid after Elche 2-3 Real Madrid
Real Madrid found another way to win, but Jose Mourinho was hardly celebrating the manner of it.
Carlos Espi’s injury-time strike completed a 3-2 comeback against Elche, rescuing Madrid after they had surrendered control of a game that appeared to be in their hands.
For Mourinho, the result was welcome, but the performance raised a familiar concern.
“When everything seems easy and you let things slide, it’s dangerous. Then the team reacts and wins, but it’s not pleasant.
“The other good thing is that nobody gets bored with these matches. They’re fun,” he began saying.
Mourinho knows what is going wrong
The Portuguese coach was particularly frustrated by another drop in intensity after the interval.
Real Madrid had opportunities to put the game beyond Elche before allowing their advantage to disappear. Mourinho believes that pattern is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
“It seems obvious to me. It’s easy to understand. These are games that are all but over, where we have chances to seal the deal but don’t. After failing to do so, we go from having it easy to losing control.
“If we play poorly from the first minute to the 90th, the concern is huge.
“If we have periods where we’re at our best and others where we’re not proactive, just waiting, lacking intensity… Of course it’s a concern. But we won.”
The win keeps Madrid moving, but Mourinho’s concern is less about the points than the way his team is repeatedly making matches unnecessarily complicated.
Carlos Espi again provided the decisive moment from the bench, although Mourinho knows breaking into the starting XI will be difficult with Mbappé ahead of him.
“He’s a guy who works hard and is very motivated,” Mourinho said.
He then added, “He’s up against a player who’s in a league of his own (Mbappe), and we’re well aware of that.”
Madrid derby comes at a delicate moment
Next up is Atletico Madrid, and Mourinho’s attention is already turning towards the derby.
Rather than focusing on the opposition, he remains concerned about his own side’s ability to manage matches.
“The only explanation I can find is that we can’t keep going like this. We misjudged the opportunities we had, and once they score a goal, everything changes,” explained the Real Madrid coach.
Meanwhile, there were positives to take from individual performances, as Mourinho praised Yan Diomande’s development after another energetic outing.
“He’s improving. Physically, you can tell he has more minutes under his belt. He has a great work ethic and intelligence—he’s done a great job.”
Mourinho refuses to call Guler indispensable
Arda Guler’s importance was also questioned after another fantastic performance, but Mourinho rejected the idea that any player is beyond replacement.
“No, no one is indispensable. We were losing control when I made the substitutions; Vini did a great job on defence, but he was very tired.
“And Arda, who was playing in the number 10 position, was also losing intensity.
“I brought in a fresh Jude and Brahim when we were down 0-2, but I could sense we were losing control. That’s how it goes for us. And then, we brought in the heavy artillery and turned it around.”
Mourinho was also pleased with Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde during Madrid’s strongest spells.
“When the team was playing well, he and Valverde were playing well. They broke through the pressure easily, with skill.
“But the game had two phases—or rather three: one until it was 0–2, another until it was 2–2, and another until the end. They did a good job,” he concluded.
Source: AS
