Tai Tran

Real Madrid sold Chema Andrés and looks like they will have to bring him back VERY soon. Holding the midfield, providing a passing option underneath & allowing his teammates to move between building the play and joining attacks. Chema’s appeal is how much freedom that relationship gives his partner. Quite similar to an introductory piece Mourinho made post International Break. There’s substance with the ball too. In 408 Premier League minutes, he has 40 line-breaking passes, 165 completed passes at 82.1%, 16 tackles & 4 interceptions. That’s 8.8 line-breaking passes and 3.5 tackles per 90. Scored in the 3–0 against Arsenal, started the 1–0 win at City. Even in the defeat at Anfield, his pressure on a goal-kick forced the turnover before Ayari hit the post. He has the exact right prototype: can hold but also push based on game dynamics. Hürzeler calls him “a natural leader and a competitor.” This is just 21 years old, he’s adapting to responsibility quickly. That’s what interests me for Madrid. Replacing Bernardo with Chema would redistribute the midfield’s work: Chema providing the base, Arda taking more responsibility for directing possession, Jude having support to stay involved higher. His fit is extremely clean & allows every sort of rotation within’ the midfield sphere. That’s also backed by his prior season. Just showing extreme leap at Brighton. Six league appearances & 50% of duels won still leave plenty to establish but Bernardo Silva is most dribbled past player in La Liga & his impact remains monumental. That’s due to ridiculous athleticism Real Madrid squad has. Bernardo is a key player here: he’s helping Arda Güler grow and same could happen here too, as his minutes decrease the IQ, tactical understanding can be guidance for others. While he himself could become swinging factor for games rather than the piece to hold things together. Real Madrid have a homegrown gold-mine that they cannot afford to pass on.

Vinícius can have a fine individual performance. Last night he was moving, getting into the box & generating shots. But without his old burst and acceleration, he no longer pulls defenders towards him in the same way. The gravity’s gone. Madrid also sacrifice an associative player when he starts. Fewer combinations, less support around the ball & harder choices for the next receiver. Each player has to do more to keep the move alive. The football is much slower and lacks penetration. That’s the domino effect. His individual performance can be fine while the players around him find it harder to play together.

I feel sorry for any footballer paired with Denzel Dumfries. You’re truly better off handcuffed in a jail cell.

I hope people understand how important Rafa Nadal joining board of directors is. Removes the atrocious group of Calderon who uses Enrique for the next Presidency and they would most certainly run the club to the ground as they did two decades ago. And Rafa Nadal himself has everything covered: from all-timer in sports to business ventures & now getting to learn the club inside out. 22 Grand Slams, worldwide recognition & a business career that extends beyond endorsements: an international academy network and ZEL, the hotel brand co-founded with Meliá. He’d bring sporting credibility, commercial relationship and something to look forward at all times.

Vinícius’s place should no longer be protected by what he can do individually. Diomandé is making the case through what Madrid can do as a team: keep the left occupied, connect through pressure & bring everyone into sequences of play. Vinícius still creates more danger himself: 0.37 xG & 1.57 chances per 90 against Diomandé’s 0.19 & 1.33 across their La Liga + CL LW minutes. Diomandé has 4 goals from 0.84 xG; Vinícius 1 from 3.29. The finishing gap exaggerates the difference. The numbers will even out through larger samples. But there’s a difference between them two. Diomandé completes 37.9 passes & 3.77 dribbles per 90 against 23.9 & 1.80 of Vinícius. He comes towards possession, can escape on either foot & releases the ball before offering himself again. Vinícius carries greater direct threat, but moving high and inside can leave him asking for the same spaces Mbappé wants. Which creates a unbalanced environment & that’s where Diomandé’s willingness to adjust matters. Mbappé moves left, he can move underneath or attack elsewhere. Against Barcelona, his deeper receiving and combinations with Cucurella gave Madrid an exit, then the entry for the opener. A complementary role still puts him in positions to influence decisive actions. H didn’t get G+A but was influential across the board on both ends. Across the opening seven league games versus the next four, Mbappé’s non-penalty xG per 90 rises from 0.90 to 1.00; Jude’s xG per 90 from 0.22 to 0.38- yet both take less shots but get better looks at the goal due to spacing. Across the winger sample, Diomandé adds 2.88 tackles + interceptions & 8.42 duels won per 90 against Vinícius’s 1.24 & 5.96. His tracking gives the left-back help without automatically pulling Jude across. Those totals support the greater involvement; they don’t measure the quality of every press or recovery run. eye-test supplements it better with Diomandé as key to Real Madrid’s new found system & midfield role allocation. The direct substitutions sharpen the comparison even further. At Atlético, Diomandé completed 4/6 dribbles & won 9/12 ground duels in 36 minutes; Vinícius managed 1/1 & 3/6 in 54. Diomandé played his entire spell with ten men. Against Leipzig, his 20 minutes brought a goal & an assist after Vinícius’s 70 produced neither, except lots of forced actions and unnatural fit. Diomandé can still rush the final pass or shot. Vinícius still offers more individual chance production. But the left-wing position currently asks for more than that, and Diomandé is giving Mourinho more of what the role needs. There is an adaptation period for both; Diomandé to sharpen his last action while Vinícius to maintain his productivity and adding multiple layers to fit the role. With current situation, the lower-ish samples, there’s a clear fit with Diomandé as Madrid can maintain high production levels through Mbappé, Bellingham and Güler but can’t necessarily keep the same structure with Vinícius Jr. style of play and deficiencies.

Huijsen’s best argument today was his defending & growth. At 88 minutes, Racing tried to play across the box & he cut the delivery out near the byline. Four blocks and 7 clearances across the game, alongside 58/64 passes & 9/12 long balls. Madrid need his ability to find players further up the pitch, but those defensive interventions matter just as much. Growing by the game.

Yan Diomandé keeps making it harder for Vinícius Jr. case. A goal that comes after a great defensive contribution forcing a turnover, an action that leads to the corner & scores yet another superb goal. He can’t stop scoring such goals. — Elite dribbler — Great associative-play — Incredible IQ & chemistry — Pressing trigger at right time — Supporting against the ball deep Worth every penny.

Camavinga is going through substantial growth. When to drop, when to release & when to carry through pressure. The technical ability was always obvious; the timing is improving. “Consistency, concentration on the pitch, making fewer mistakes.” His own words during press-conference while on International Break. Since then: 134/146 passes, 13 recoveries, 5 interceptions & 4 chances created in 192 minutes for France. For Madrid: 89/100 passes, 20/26 duels won, 5/5 dribbles & 8 recoveries in 125 minutes. Against Leipzig, he dropped to offer a passing option without getting stuck deep. Kept the ball moving, stepped forward when the space opened. His Clásico assist then came from combining, continuing the run & delivering the cutback. While adding his athleticism & technical base. The gap between his talent & his decisions is starting to close. Deserves all the praise in the world!