It's not about Yoro; it's about the principal of not strengthening all areas. We focus heavily on midfield/attack then skimp on defense.
The club must have either seen him play or detected a need to sign him otherwise they wouldn't have bothered following him around for all that time.
This is exactly what I meant by scapegoating. Tibo made 3 great saves in that match maybe. One where Salah turned Mendy, other where Mane made a good shot cutting inside from penalty box etc. But ridiculous exaggeration that Alaba was the reason for 8-9 chances. RM also had 2-3 other chances like Benzema one, Ceballos missing target, Casemiro missing square pass after getting ahead of their defense. Pool creating several good chances is an utopia driven by English media. RM conceded 11 goals in first half of La Liga season, but rigidity in defense is due to Alaba's ACL apparently.
Club passed on Yoro at that price. He's 19 so they weren't exactly looking at veterans, but a potential starter for years to come. Carlo yesterday said he will look into academy options like Jacobo, Joan, Raul Asencio if needed until Alaba is back. Club wanted to look into academy after missing out on Yoro. Maybe they think plan B options in that age group is in academy itself. Tcho was very good as back up CB last season and Camavinga is more than capable of starting big games. It's upto Carlo whether he wants to trust someone like Jacobo as 4th choice.
I'm not sure the club passed up on that price to be honest, maybe the sentiment was that the player wasn't committed to us the way we possibly felt, and likewise the player didn't feel like we were ready to go all in for him the way he would have hoped we would. Point being you don't hit on every target. We kind of got carried away lately, but Manchester United slipped and handed us a Kroos over that was ready to sign for them and now they got one. I don't like our this or nothing at all approach to transfers but I feel like the worst that can happen is that we don't win. There's worse.
Narrative in 2022 was that we are only signing defenders and ignoring attack. CB depth that season was Militao, Alaba, Rudiger, Nacho and Vallejo. Mariano was back up striker and some here wanted left footed RW and bench Rodrygo. We waited till a talent like Guler was available and Brahim has take on skills unlike Asensio and proved to be an upgrade. I am fine with using academy products for depth. Even if they don't become world beaters, academy has produced solid CBs like Hermoso, Gila and Marin in recent years. And by all accounts, Jacobo and Joan are rated higher as natural talents. Jacobo is at the right age for a promotion as well.
As things stand.... Mendy and Fran are more than enough for left back, we also have Camavinga who can step in for emergencies. We're taking a bit of a gamble at centre back, but I actually prefer to take this gamble. Rudiger is solid, question mark over Militao but we must show some faith in him. Alaba is returning to fitness and worst case scenario we have Tchouameni and Vallejo. Assuming no major injuries, come November we should have Rudiger, Militao, Alaba, Vallejo and Tchouameni as our options. That's not the worst position to be in. And the reason I mentioned I prefer to take this gamble is mainly because I want us to bring through a youth prospect instead of buying. Carvajal and Lucas are enough for right back and again, would rather see us bring through a youth prospect than buy.
Nacho got an opportunity because club/Carlo chose not to replace Raul Albiol with another CB signing. I think what worked in his favour was that he could play as FB and Arbeloa was ageing. Else he'd have got loaned out in 2013 itself. Who knows whether he'd have returned or become like Hermoso elsewhere. Developing Jacobi/Joan where they will have Rudiger, Militao, Alaba and Tchouameni ahead of them next season doesn't seem like a huge risk to me. I'd count them ahead of Vallejo, but that's not how Carlo usually works. Marin's contract is aligned for him to return when Alaba's contract expires. Napoli will get 28 ME development fee pretty much if he does well in Serie A.
Pavon was actually in Nacho tier for two seasons (2001-03) playing a key role in RM winning CL and La Liga. He started so many important games including 2002 Camp Nou CL semis. I think psychological issue is the reason why Pavon couldn't prolong that level. Nacho for example was so tough mentally. If Nacho had Pavon's height, he's a regular starter for an elite club. Aerial ability was the only weakness in Nacho's game.
We wanted a new CB, we identified one that fits our requirements, we didn't hit on the transfer. The club most likely didn't see anybody that fit what they wanted at the price they wanted it going forward. I know an experienced short term solution was brought up a lot of times but to me it seems like we only do those for guys like Joselu who would give their last shirt and pants to have one season for the club. Ramos would've been ideal but the wounds are probably too deep to heal.
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I don’t necessarily agree with the approach, but it’s clear to me the club specifically identified a young CB as a need, someone that will be eased in over time. And since they missed out on Yoro, willing or unwillingly is immaterial, their plan B is to bet on a similar profile from the academy. To me, it looks like the club wanted Yoro but only on their conditions and that idea is consistent with what’s been reported over the past few months. If you think about it, the real issue is the uncertainty surrounding Alaba’s fitness. If you’re being cynical, then offloading him and getting someone like Laporte in, for example, would ease any concerns. But that’s easier than done, we can’t ignore that he’s on the roster and is scheduled to come back in October/November, and, realistically, a rotation of Laporte, Militao, Rudiger and a fit Alaba will be harder to manage, aside from the financial considerations. Again, this is consistent with the reporting; a CB signing will depend on Alaba’s recovery. I see both sides of the coin. But what I would do is at the very least consider promoting Martin or brining back Blanco as extra midfield depth to allow Tchouameni to cover CB when needed for now, then re-asses in January and have Joan, Jacobo etc train with the first team to get a better picture in the meantime.
I reckon Lunin will see out his contract like Asensio did. There aren't Top 4 level club offers for him now. 📲 Andriy Lunin on IG: "Can't wait to play with this shirt again. We continue with the preparation. 🤍" pic.twitter.com/eZM8yiAgkb— Madrid Xtra (@MadridXtra) August 2, 2024
I trust healthy Ceballos to be a contributing squad player too. We don't win CDR without his performance in the remontada at Villarreal. His performances at San Mames etc steadied the ship during that crisis period part of the season. Then Carlo did some weird things like playing without DM after we had beaten Liverpool 5-2 at Anfield with Camavinga as DM and Nacho marking out Salah as LB. Copying Deschamps idea of Camavinga at LB meanwhile benching Tchouameni to play without a DM was very strange from Carlo. City disaster was inevitable with that line up.
It’s not the number but the type of midfielders. We have plenty of box to box types, Tchouameni is essentially the only number 6 we have, Camavinga can play the position but I feel he’s not a natural fit. And with the former expected to also cover at CB, I’d feel more comfortable if we had another holding midfielder, a low profile back up would do for me. I think Blanco or Martin fit that profile but admittedly I haven’t watched much of them.
Martin can make up the numbers if needed, but won't get to play. It will be Camavinga playing the defensive midfielder role like both City games and CL final if Tcho is playing CB/unavailable.
I would have brought back Blanco. He would have cost peanuts but is polished enough to be used in emergencies or off the bench as a DM. He would have inadvertently also increased his worth if he played a half decent year at Madrid. I think Martin is too green still.
Blanco rebuilt his career at Alaves after getting benched at Cadiz. Marcos Llorente was called back after good spell at Alaves and ended up being buried on RM bench for two seasons. He was Casemiro's back up which should mean decent minutes, but Case pretty much played every game. Blanco could be in a worse situation if he's brought back. Tcho would be 4th CB option when Alaba returns and there's Camavinga too. Wouldn't make sense Blanco to return with that much bench time looming.
🔥 ¡Lo quieren en toda Europa!🚨 United y Chelsea ya han movido ficha para interesarse por su situación⁉️ ¿Crees que tiene el nivel para llegar a la élite?🔗 https://t.co/B1sNmksr1U pic.twitter.com/4R3X8X5jgz— Diario AS (@diarioas) August 2, 2024
I didn't rate Martin that highly. He made many terminal mistakes one of which waa a bad pass that should have conceded a goal. The two young CBs weren't that bad and seem to have talent but they're obviously work in progress.
Managing Madrid guys who were at the game said Modric showed his displeasure to Martin during first half as he kept giving the ball away. He didn't look comfortable when Milan pressed.