It's interesting you say this, as a Spanish journalist mentioned that there might be a small contingency of the older clan, that are becoming rebellious and not happy with Xabi. He specifically mentioned Fede, Vini and also Carvajal. Right now, it's hard to tell if that story is a load of rubbish or if there is some truth to it.
I wwouldn't be surprised. Rinse repeat. For all the talk about wanting new ideas and new people the biggest quality a Madrid manager needs is managing personalites.
Fede getting slammed in every single daily with both Marca and AS saying that he's "upset because meritocracy has settled and he can't handle it" that he has no place in this team any more and what not. What a weird out of nowhere situation. Always felt like he was the least of our problems, and still do.
Valverde is a very specific player and if we play a system which limits the opportunities for his running with the ball and shots from outside, he could very well be the odd man out. I always thought that with Jude and Tchouameni he is too much of a good thing. We need creativity in the middle of the park and he simply does not have that.
I don't trust Bellingham to have a long and productive career, especially with recent reports that his shoulder has been an issue since he arrived at Dortmund. I'm very careful around him, or any player that's almost a calendar year deep without a single standout performance.
Meritocracy only applies to Fede I guess. A smear campaign against Fede is pathetic. Dude probably feels exactly, meritocracy. He’s probably annoyed and feels he’s earned a little respect after years of being the new guy trying to please the manager and do right by the team. Played at RW, midfield, right back, played excessive minutes with no rest, never complained. Years have passed and he has delivered, at times being our most consistent player even when the others dropped off, he has won it all with the team and has been a staple for a lot of our success but he again, is expected to be the one to take it in the chin. Be a good soldier so that others don’t have to be. “Earn” it so that others don’t have to. lame
Wouldn't be surprised if he's a 1-hit wonder with that marvelous first season and that's it. I haven't been impressed by him in a LONG time.
I've tried to come up with a single big performance, club or country and i cant find anything in a LONG time. Even with the Euro, the much celebrated "who else" moment was in games he was a passenger for a long time.
What system? Fede isn't the issue here, it's who we're playing with him. Regarding Jude.. when are people going to hold him accountable for doing what he wants for his own stardom and not sacrificing for the team? Ironic people tell Fede "STFU and play FB" but won't dare tell Starboy "please sir keep your postion in midfield and help us build attacks not just finish them".
Nunca olvidaré que el madridismo pedía a Álvaro Morata antes que a Benzema. 🫣pic.twitter.com/swPJ1RgyJS— Yulis Llorente Ⓜ️ (@YulisRmcf) October 3, 2025 Una Bestia Just missing him
Two things are true at the same time. 1. Fede has been playing poorly for awhile now. Maybe he shouldn’t be starting. 2. Jude has been playing poorly all last season. Limited minutes he’s been back he’s been poor. He needs to prove he’s worthy of starting.
I'm getting tired of these discussions where people expect us to see the bigger picture or wait to pass judgement. I think the fun of football is exactly the ups and downs of players and the heat of the moment. We are here every day to discuss things as they happen day after day. We are not discussing how great the 2022 season was. It's the past. Benzema was great, but I totally understand why people were mad at him when he was not good. It's part of watching football and supporting a team. It's completely fine to tell Carlo fo screw himself after we lose for the fourth time straight against Barça and still love him and consider him one of the greats. It's not disrespectful, it's the very nature of following a football team closely.
Wasn't the narrative that we've been running Bellingham to the ground, that he has been playing both offense and defense etc.? It's true that he has been rather poor, but let's give him a month or two to return to form after injury and after previous season when the whole team was underwhelming. As far as Valverde is concerned, it's not that I don't like him or something, but to me it seems that we will have trouble forming a midfield that would incorporate both him and Bellingham.
Yes obviously the CL and La Liga doubles the team won in 2024 were all due to the fact Carlo never played Fed and Jude in midfield together, so that combination won't work and since Jude is just coming back from injury we will just have to make him an automatic starter for at least two months regardless of form and other circumstances and only at a much later date after months of being an untouchable starter can we return to asses his situation. Yeah would be great to have a CF who isn't a gian black hole ucking all the hot air out of the room. A guy who can set up teammates with assists and do more than just put his head down and go for goal.
The deadly duo of bernabéu. pic.twitter.com/wNRrnr0EUt— Narmi (@utdnarmi) October 3, 2025 I'm typically not one for nostalgia but man some of these finishes, no player in Europe can do now.
Again this is not about form it's about style and role. Jude looks poor because the role he is playing isn't needed as much with Mbappe ok the pitch. It makes things worse when Arda is in form playing it and he is just drifting about. The result is Tchouameni and Fede getting berated and insulted for not being able to protect and control and entire midfield by themselves.
You remember as well as I how miserable this forum was even during the time of that unmatchable run. We would both comment about needing to appreciate. Well anyways, we aren't that far away from something great we just need Xabi to put this puzzle together. *rodrygo on left, vini on right*
One thing that jumps out is how close Benzema and CR played together, but spaced well. Right now Vinny starts so wide and when he comes in it’s like Mbappe and Vinny are occupying the same space and tripping over each other. I just don’t think Vinny has the ability to adapt.
Try to understand that Vini is fantastic but he is a choas player not a cohesive linking player. When we introduced another playe (Mbappe) who needs cohesion and not choas (Mbappe is choas). Vini being pinned on the left and teams finally adjusting.. He will always be up and down there. Just wish Xabi would give this a run of matches. Rodrygo must be on the left. He brings the best out of Mbappe there. Rodrygo can facilitate the chaos twins playing middle and sight right. From that point we don't need Jude to act as a second striker we need him to facilitate in midfield. Now with the right system we have a brutal side. (The right system is a higher defensive line to keep things compact up the field using Tchou as a sweeper with Trent up the field wide right and Carerras acting as a fourth mid, not so far up)
I’m with you. I think Rodrygo compliments Mbappe so much better on the left than Vinny. I’ve been saying Vinny is a chaos player for awhile now. I don’t think moving him to the right will make him better in that regard. His spacing and timing of runs is abysmal. Moving him to the right won’t improve that. But I’d love to see us try it at least.
Moving him to the right will make him effective because defenders can't use the sideline as another defender. When he is slightly to the right it puts tremendous pressure on the CB because Trent will still be occupying the wide right. The point of this way if playing with these players is to overwhelm the middle of the field with service/coehsion being provide by Rodrygo and Trent as wide outlets.
Very surprised by the skepticism towards Bellingham and Valverde. Yes they have gone through rough patches like any other player, but what they bring to the team is undeniable and Xabi needs to find a way to bring the best out of them. Arda is performing fine but Jude is currently the better player by demonstrated impact, and the priority should be to get him back to that level of impact in the team; same for Fede. I think it would be a huge mistake to consider either Jude or Valverde anything except long term first team mainstays in the squad. I think our best team today is a midfield of Tchouameni, Valverde, Arda, and Jude in midfield, with Vini and Mbappe upfront.
I think Jude will only return to form when playing as an advanced midfielder or second striker. He will impact the team negatively otherwise.
Actually the problem is that Mbappe can't adapt. Vini has shown he can adapt. Came halfway across the entire world leaving everything behine and starting rom nothing at 18, and adapted. Adapted to playing with a Benzema and went from the wantaway wingman to the main man on a CL and La Liga double winning team. Mbappe was desperately needed to do some of the KB9 stuff playing as a CF, something Jude and done to a sufficient level the year before. Mbappe showed the team, the fans and the whole world he had no interest in being "that guy" and only wanted to score goals so he had a fall back option to explain why none of it is his fault if and when the titles weren't delivered.
Problem with Arda (who is flying under the radar at the moment) is that he can't play in a 3 man midfield like the other 3 because he can't play defense, may not even be strong or fast enough to just foul a player for the sake of stopping a play. He also can't play as a forward, doesn't have the speed, the eye for goal or the attitude for a lack of a better word. Very similar to Ozil who had to have a supporting cast of characters around him that allowed him to focus on making assists and completely take the scoring and defense load off.