Real Madrid finish solving the exit chapter with a squad that convinces in the offices and without the need to sign more
Pleasant summer in the Real Madrid offices. On the ground floor of Concha Espina, they were early risers and did their homework very quickly, with the transfers of German central defender Antonio Rüdiger, at no cost after ending his relationship with Chelsea, and French midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni, for whom they paid Monaco 80 million fixed euros plus another 20 in variables. That’s why the Whites’ sports directors look forward to the approaching start of the season with the peace of mind that they have achieved their goal and a championship squad.
The departure of Luka Jovic to Fiorentina and Borja Mayoral to Getafe leaves the solution of the future of Álvaro Odrizola and the Brazilian Reinier as the only pending tasks, beyond doubt about the continuity of Ceballos or the runrún installed in the white environment on the need to include a warranty replacement for Benzema.
And it’s that the preseason thrills have gone from less to more. The defeat to Barca in Las Vegas in the first pre-season match was somewhat unsettling, as the French striker’s absence exposed all the white flaws in the goalscoring chapter when Ancelotti’s team’s password isn’t there in attack. The first part of the match against América de México in San Francisco also served no purpose, although the improvement in the second 45 minutes due to the less usual softened the conclusions of a match that ended in a draw at two o’clock. . .
Madrid finished unconvincing on their US tour, always from the distance by which preseason results had to be judged, but the Los Angeles game against Juventus changed the white balance of the preparation significantly. With the gala team winning the Champions League and League last season, Ancelotti’s pupils won and convinced against the ‘vecchia Signora’, which was already in the offing from the start of the competition.
Wednesday comes the chance to take the first official title of the season, the European Super Cup that Madrid will play against Eintracht Frankfurt in Helsinki. It will be for the league debut, on Sunday 14 August against Almería at the Estadio de los Juegos Mediterráneos. For now, Rüdiger and Tchouaméni will have to keep earning their merits to earn a place with an eleven that seems clear after the game against Juve. The pair of centre-backs formed by Militao and Alaba remain the preferred option of Ancelotti, who was unconvinced by the test with Rüdiger at left-back, which gives Mendy more options.
In the center of the field, Madrid has already tied the future with Camavinga and Tchouaméni, two midfielders with very different profiles – the first being more dynamic; of greater containment and tactical rigor the second, which have left very good feelings in the preseason. At the moment, however, the hierarchy is still characterized by Casemiro, Kroos and Modric, apart from the fact that the track is long and there will be time and place for rotations. On offense, Benzema and Vinicius are unquestionable, with Valverde being the first choice for the right wing due to his ability to assist in midfield as well. Hazard and Asensio continue to look forward to their chance.
In addition to Carlo Ancelotti’s ability to manage a star-studded dressing room and the script of his second and son, Davide, Real Madrid’s success last season had a lot to do with Antonio Pintus’ physical preparation. Despite the many doubts posed by the low rotation of troops in the first half of the course, the white team’s performance did not drop one iota in the decisive piece, unleashing high praise for the Pintus method.
The Italian returned to the white club at the hands of Carletto after a first leg between 2016 and 2019 and so far the decision has proved a success. Madrid have finished the pre-season without any shock in terms of injuries, as they have their entire team available for the first week of the season. Despite the tough training and three games played on the American tour, with the associated accumulation of kilometers in the legs, the Madridista hospital continues unprecedented in this period of preparation.
All this although Pintus has not cut a hair in these weeks of tuning, true to his style. The sessions of maximum physical exertion and hard work in the gym were common and gave way to a different type of training that focused more on ball exercises and tactical training last week after the return from the North American tour. The Turin coach therefore plans to relieve the players’ legs so that they arrive in full condition for the first challenge of the season, the European Super Cup which will measure Madrid against Eintracht in Helsinki on Wednesday.
Source: La Verdad
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