Still Believe In Magic? – Managing Madrid

The Daily Merengue is a place where you can feel free to discuss all things football. Do not be alarmed by the overt RMCF bias. It’s in the name!

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Champions League Night at the Bernabeu

Real Madrid v RB Leipzig

• Real Madrid have a slender 1-0 lead thanks to a special moment from the special Brahim Diaz in the first leg
• Jude Bellingham returns to CL action but both him and Camavinga are 1 yellow card away from missing the first leg of the QF if the team advances.

Football Heritage

It just occured to me that in much the same way that Raul and Ronnie made the number 7 a coveted jersey for all Madridistas, Karim restored the number 9 and Modric restored the number 10.

The weight of the number 9 is rather heavy and it is easy to forget because Karim carried it all these years. The same goes for the number 10.

It will be interesting to see who wears the honour of the number 9 next season

Don Carlo’s Thoughts on Rodrygo

Now Rodrygo won’t be able to stop thinking about the green elephant

Real Madrid is a ruthless environment. Rodrygo needs some kind of life coach to help him get out of his own way. He has all the technical ability to be efficient but he’s got the yips now. It has been said, that once you get the yips, there’s no way back.

Everyone Saw What Happened

La Liga should be ashamed

The refereeing in La Liga is doing a disservice to La Liga teams. We focus on the decisions that go against our favourite team but the whole league is suffering from poor officiating.

The Legend of M12

Marcelo had a lot of heart to go with his extraordinary technical ability. It’s easy to forget that during the second half of Ronnie’s time at the Bernabeu, it was Marcelo carrying the ball and dribbling down that left side like a winger. Absolutely fantastic talent.

That Elite Mentality

In it to win it

Who needs pressure or cheerleaders when you have guys like Kroos and Camavinga with that mentality to go out and win it. The Real Madrid dressing has cultivated a culture of winning which we can only hope will seep into the regular La Liga season for years to come.

Turns out Camavinga has an idea what role suits him best

Many have argued over what Camavinga’s best role is. It seems to me that Camavinga has a similar issue to what Fede had. When you’re fast, the manager will try to exploit your speed in attack more than defence. If Camavinga was slow, more people would be ready to see him as a DM.

The Everything Man

It’s crazy to think Camavinga is still only 21. He’s a really wonderful talent and can indeed do everything. By his own admission, his right foot, his shooting and contributions in the final 3rd need improvement. I hope he is actively working on improving all 3. His career is still in its infancy and there’s a lot to work with in terms of raw talent.

The Daily Poll

Poll 1

Poll 2