A great game to watch. I'm not sure if Arbeloa is the guy but he's definitely showing that Castilla can be utilized and that there are some gems there. You can tell he's a good youth coach. Maybe that's where Arbeloa can be maximized, but this was awesome to watch. Huijsen, Fede, Brahim and Tchou are really catching fire at the right time. They're looking really good and strong right now. I will never give up on Arda Guler. I think the player is definitely special. He needs time as he has traits not many of our players have.
Some very nice sequences in there where he showed he has great understanding of the ball and his own surroundings. I have no idea how good some of these kids are, but I love players that actually love to receive the ball whenever they can. Crazy, right?
Diego Aguado (19, CB/LB) vs Elche. pic.twitter.com/ThH3gFFH5J— Real Madrid Fabrica (@FabricaMadrid) March 14, 2026
Manuel Angel is a nice little player,him and Pitarch should be in the squad for next season,Camavinga,Ceballos out
Putting out the same starting XI twice is something Xabi would never do. Best of luck to him at Liverpool next season (except when they play RM of course).
I had tuned off before the Arda Guler golazo from way past halfway line in Madrid's half. MashAllah. Amazing goal for the ages!
Good points. We must only spend on players who will really move the needle. Between the cantera and Endrick, Franco etc... we have all the young talent we need. If Aguado gets stronger physically, he'll be great. Very good player in the making. You can tell he has a very good understanding of the game. A lot excitement about Joan Garcia as well. Palacios I'm really liking... very creative player and confident... Manuel Angel as well. One smart summer in terms of moves...and we'll be set. The right sales, the right guys sent on loan....3 top quality signings.... Balance. That's what's missing in our squad.
I am very happy for Palacios. After that acl injury in the 2004 US tour, he has finally turned the corner the last few months. At the time, he was linked with Bayer and other European clubs. He would have moved on that summer, but basically had his career set back 2 years after the injury. He did not even complete the preseason with Castilla, but cemented himself into the squad as soon he hit the pitch. As someone who watched Nico Paz at Castilla, Palacios best comp is probably a right footed Nico before Nico went to Como. Palacios started as a left sided attacker, similar to Nico started as a right sided attacker. Both have moved centrally and both have even played striker in emergencies. Their profiles and youth careers suggest they are most comfortable in the 10 spot but both show vision, the ability to tackle, and initiate attacks from deep. Which allow both to play as hybrid 10/8s, with their go to spin moves in the middle of the park to launch attacks.
He has to stay healthy. He has a history of injuries which keep him out 4-6 weeks at a time. If him and Palacios had been healthy the last 2 years, they probably would moved on from Castilla already.
Fair enough, Franco and Endrick yes, maybe, as for the Cantera, not exactly new or unheard of, Flo tried this already, remember Zidanes and Pavones, basically players that "move the needle" and youth players, at that time it didn't go so well, and some fans lost their minds over it, who knows it might work better this time? , the youngsters certainly look talented, only time and continuity will tell (they will need minutes, maybe if Alvaro continues past this season that can be achieved somewhat but i'm not sure to what level) and the risk will need to be taken to see if that strategy can work, and it will be a risk..... any signs of problems and we know who will be blamed
There's spot for 2-3 canteranos in this scenario at most in the squad of 25 to replace the likes of Ceballos. So nothing like Zidanes y Pavones. We won a lot with Carva as starter and Nacho, LV (RW) as squad players so 3 useful canteranos not gonna hurt anything.
What people forget is that we don't have "Zidanes" anymore lol... Those guys were giants ....ballon d'or winners: R9, Figo, Zizou.... Vini, Mbappe and Jude... not there yet. ...Mbappe is the only galactico we have....and he still has no CL or Ballon d'Or.
Who makes it out of the youth players depends on their positions. Unfortunately, it won't just come down to talent alone. You have the older group of Palacios and Miguel Angel (same cohort as Gonzalo) who are probably closer to make the jump. Palacios would have to show he can play as a CM to stick around. He is fairly verstaile which works in his favor. Miguel Angel is unique and has shown some high level performances with Castilla but he isn't consistent and is often injured. He is probably further along than Thiago when it comes to some aspects. There are games where he is above the rest at Castilla. Then you have Thiago, Aguado, Yanez, Valdepenas who are all 18-19 and have time on their side. If Castilla can get promoted, you can shuffle them back and forth between Castilla and the 1st team next year. But I do not think Castilla will get promoted. After next year, some of them will probably be looking to play at a higher level, be it Real Madrid or elsewhere.
To me, Palacios probably goes out on loan next year, he has a special talent, you can tell from that first touch and his understanding of where he is and who is around him. He will come back just a victim of numbers. Thiago should be there. I think it would be foolish to not give a spot or two to Castilla in the back 4. Aguado and Valdepenas can both play CB/LB. Asencio needs to go, and you're going to likely let go of Alaba, Carvajal, Fran, and Rudiger. Tons of spots there and those two are easily first team material. If we don't promote them, they'll easily get other opportunities elsewhere. I don't see a spot for Nico. He's too redundant to Jude and Arda, so unless you're planning to let one go, I think I can see why there are links to Inter.
Inter can't even afford him for the 70 ME Spurs offered last summer. Source was unreliable Tuttosport.
He's an amazing talent and a player that has developed exceptionally well at Como. However, I'm also struggling to see where he'd fit.
Remember it's a world cup year, so if a player that's still kind of under the rader break out we could see his price sky rocket.
Again it will depend on how much he progresses physically, but Palacios definitely has some Benzema instincts....those touches to bring fluidity to the game from tight spots. Very intelligent. I'm fully on the train lol.. With guys like Paz, Palacios....I think a lot will depend on what happens with Brahim and Franco. I think they are almost exact replacements for those two in terms of where on the pitch they can be used. If you sell Brahim, Cama and Ceballos, and loan out Franco, then there's probably space for Paz, Palacios and Pitarch. In any case, we must still sign 1 TOP midfielder...who isn't a project. Ready from day 1.