Real Madrid

• Ronaldo, I was sad but felt like it was an exciting time with bale, benz and Isco ready to step up and asensio rising. I thought the drop off wouldn't be too bad and everyone else would get a chance to shine.

• Benz, it was time and with Saudi calling it felt right for him to leave on a high.

• Bale, personally top 3 favourite for me (alongside kroos and carvajal) but glad the drama was over. Will always have a special place in my heart.

• Casemiro, the anti bale, him and varane were ALWAYS called underrated to the point that they weren't underrated anymore. Great player but I was only mildly worried seeing him leave, wanted one more season of his.

• Kroos, ABSOLUTELY devasted. This is the worst thing that has happened for me since I started following football. I wish it hadn't happened but I understand its best for him. Atleast we knew there was a chance since he always said he wanted to go out on top.

• Marcelo, sad to say I was glad he left. It felt like he overstayed. While most of the team recovered from the post 18/19 slump, Marcelo wasn't the same. He was a liabily on the pitch against any level of opposition. Especially with Mendy showing exactly what Marcelo's weakness had always been later.

• Ramos, the only one I was as worried about as I was with Ronaldo. Alaba did well to fill in his boots but noone can replace all of Ramos' qualities.

• Varane, the timing was bad and hence I was worried. But still thought it was OK that it happened. In the Casemiro camp for me.

• Isco, felt like it was overdue. Although since I always loved both Bale and James I had a bit of a bias against him. Looking back I may have underappreciated his peak, but the player he was at the point of departure was one that didn't deserve to be a starter (or a bench player tbh). Loved his revival this year.

• Navas, what a valuable guy he turned out to be, forever undervalued by his clubs in favour of star players. Wtf was that video of his that just got leaked. I really really wanted de gea so took me a while to warm up to him, but once courtois was here .... the writings were on the wall.

The rest were mostly squad players or players here for not all 3 years.

Would love to hear which player hurt the most for y'all.

Yeah no way should dani ceballos leave! He'll be a very valuable squad member for years to come. The left back and center back situations are interesting.

2 of Fran, Miguel, Mendy and Davies will be at the club. I don't think the club will want to get 2 new guys. I suspect if Davies comes one of the squad lbs leave, if he doesnt come, nothing happens there.

At cb Nacho is captain and might stay another season, but with reports of Yoro and now the return of Rafa Marin suspected too I dont know if Nacho stays. Alaba is still only 31 despite looking a lot older this season and has an ACL injury too. Rudiger and Militao are certain starters tho.

Where do Endrick, Mbappe and Guler get their minutes from god only knows. Endrick likely goes to Castilla first, Guler has a loan possibility (or sell brahim). And Mbappe is a starter so joselu and rodrygo lose out on minutes.

INSANE squad.

Hasta la muerte!!!

I have basically only posted managing madrid links on this community lol, but that's bc they're doing a good job

Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck

Carlo Ancelotti spoke to the press after the 5-1 win over Valencia to reflect upon his team’s thumping victory, and in doing so he spoke to praise both Rodrygo Goes and Vinícius Júnior as he said: “This was their best level, they just needed time to get back to showing their best qualities. In the last two games they’ve done it very well, finding spaces and playing with extraordinary quality. We can say that they have returned.”

Ancelotti on whether this was the team’s best performance of the season Asked whether this was the best game played by Real Madrid this season, Ancelotti provided a clear response: “Was it the best performance? Yes. Valencia haven’t shown their best because we played a very good game, the first 15 minutes we could have defended better, but from there the game was perfect.

Ancelotti on the best individuals When pushed for a best performance, Ancelotti was reluctant to single out any individuals and pointed to the team performance as he said: “Vinícius and Rodrygo both did very well, as part of the wider team who all played very well. I don’t like to assess on an individual level, but as a team they did a splendid job.”

Ancelotti on what he told the players he took off When asked what he told the players he brought off, Ancelotti shared some insight but also responded in his typical humorous style as he said: “Vinícius said that he wanted to play more, and I told Brahim not to make tacos because I don’t like them.”

Ancelotti on Dani Carvajal With a goal, Dani Carvajal was another of the stand-out performers and Ancelotti analysed his display by saying: “He’s a very, very good full-back both in and out of possession. Our play out wide was very good, with Rodrygo on the right with Carvajal, and Vinícius and Brahim on the left. That was what helped us to win this game.”

Ancelotti on Andriy Lunin Ancelotti was also asked about Andriy Lunin, the stand-in goalkeeper, and his recent quotes that he had perhaps been unfair with him in the past. He said: “I don’t know if I was unfair with him, when you have a squad of this level, you have to be unfair with someone. Like Luka Modrić today, he could have started and he added value when he came on, but unfortunately that’s my job.

Ancelotti on Eduardo Camavinga Another star man was Eduardo Camavinga, and Ancelotti was asked if his current form is his best while playing in the holding midfield role. Ancelotti responded: “I think he does it very well in every position which makes it hard to know where to put him. In the pivot role, I think he’s showed his best level in these past few games without Tchouameni.”

Ancelotti on his substitutions Questioned as to why the substitutes were not given more game time with the result seemingly settled early on, Ancelotti responded bluntly: “The game is only over when the referee blows the final whistle. I don’t ever see a game over at 4-0, so I make changes to try and win the game.”

Ancelotti on the team’s form Looking at the wider context of recent games, Ancelotti praised his team for their excellent form over the past three games at home in the last week: “I think everyone has played very well in the last three games, we were missing something against Rayo Vallecano, but we’ve played very good football, consolidated, with commitment, and dedication.”

Ancelotti on Jude Bellingham and the international break Providing an update on midfielder Jude Bellingham, Ancelotti said that he will travel to England before returning in the international break: “Bellingham will go, yes, to be evaluated and he’ll come back after that, because he hasn’t played today. He is doing specific work to strengthen his shoulder over the next few weeks, but he will be back to playing after that.

Ancelotti on Girona Finally, asked about title rivals Girona, Ancelotti was asked if they could be a new Leicester City, and he responded: “Girona are doing very well, better than us. They don’t have European competitions either, so can fight for every game. They are a rival who can fight for LaLiga, without a doubt.”

Could the long, drawn-out saga of Kylian Mbappe to Real Madrid finally be entering its twilight phase?

That seems like an unrealistic question, as both Mbappe and Real Madrid seem to be forever intertwined in never-ending rumours linking them together. However, a report in Cadena Ser this week states that Real Madrid could actually, finally, be giving in to the idea that signing the French superstar is not possible.

There are several reasons for this, if the report is true. Primarily, Mbappe would come with a salary that would dwarf the highest earners already in the team, which could create a massive wage imbalance at the club.

Secondly, Mbappe, who has already rejected the club more than once, could turn away from the Bernabeu once again, leaving the club with less options in a dwindling market. This season was the first time in club history the team didn’t assign a number 9, and they did so because they were holding out on the Frenchman

The report also states that Mbappe would be 26 if he arrives, and doesn’t fit in the right age bracket of young players the club wants to sign, although, admittedly, that last point doesn’t seem to hold much weight because at 26, Mbappe would be entering his peak.

The report may or may not be true. It’s important to note that Real Madrid may have leaked this story to Cadena SER as a smokescreen so that PSG don’t get annoyed with Real Madrid’s continual links to Mbappe.

One thing is certain: this report doesn’t stop the rumours. There will be plenty of links between Mbappe and Real Madrid from now until next summer.

Real Madrid have contacted the agents of 20-year-old Brazilian striker Marcos Leonardo, according to a report from Brazilian outlet Globo.

In the same week that Real Madrid expressed interest, Saudi-backed Premier League club, Newcastle United, have also reportedly held discussions with the players’ agents. There is no formal offer from either club. A deal could be done in January but for now the player is working to keep Santos from an unprecedented relegation. Santos currently sit just 1 point above the relegation zone.

A potential connection to this story: Rafaela Pimenta’s attendance at the Bernabeu on Wendesday night. The super agent businesswoman was pictured sitting next to Fernando Brito, the representative of Marcos Leonardo, in one of the balcony seats at the Bernabeu. Many linked her presence to Erling Haaland, but instead it could be around Marcos Leonardo.

The young striker’s contract expires in 2026 with Santos owning 70% of the player’s rights, the other 30% is owned by Leonardo himself. Roma was said to have made a bid in the summer, but was rejected. Santos may be willing to accept an offer in the region of 40 million euros. The 20-year-old has scored 21 goals this season and has another five goals for the Brazil U-20 team. He also made the senior Brazil team’s pre-list ahead of the latest call-up. He will be one to watch and may be another Brazilian target that has caught the eye of Juni Calafat and Real Madrid.

Already deserved more for his performances as a sub

Real Madrid have released an official statement, denying rumours surrounding the imminent arrival of Kylian Mbappé.

This comes, for those who may have missed it, on the back of fresh claims in the Spanish media, pointing towards the Frenchman preparing to seal a long-awaited move to the Santiago Bernabéu.

On Friday, Diario AS unveiled a new report, suggesting that Mbappé had agreed to forfeit a €100m loyalty clause to Paris Saint-Germain, to link up with Real in the summer of 2024.

As much, however, has since been vehemently denied.

In a post across the club’s website and social media platforms on Saturday evening, Los Blancos unveiled an unwavering statement, ensuring that they are not engaged in any form of negotiations with Mbappé and his entourage:

“Given the information recently issued and published by different media outlets, in which there is speculation about alleged negotiations between the player Kylian Mbappé and our club, Real Madrid CF would like to state that this information is completely false and that no such negotiations have taken place. with a player who belongs to PSG.”

https://www.managingmadrid.com/2023/11/4/23946290/real-madrid-mbappe-statement-2023

Not cool man

Def worth a read!

Following Real Madrid’s 0-0 draw against Rayo Vallecano, Carlo Ancelotti appeared in the Bernabéu press room and analysed the draw. He was in an optimistic and positive mood, insisting that the team had played well.

Analysing the performance, he said: “We just lacked a goal. I think we had a good attitude and energy, but we didn’t get the result we wanted. We shot 23 times and had no shots against. In the first half, maybe we forced it to the left too much when we should have used the right too. We did that more in the second half. We tried in every way, with crosses, vertical passes, but it didn’t come off. I think we were good, but sometimes this can happen that you don’t score. The important thing is to keep trying until the end, which we did. I don’t just look at a match depending on the result. There’s no drama, we’re well-placed in the title race and well-placed in the Champions League.”

Ancelotti on being happy despite dropping points Pressed on his positive outlook on the game, the coach explained that he doesn’t just consider the final score when evaluating matches. He said: “In some games we’ve maybe won without deserving to and here we deserved to win but didn’t. I can be sad when we win but don’t play well and other times I can be happy when we play well but don’t win.”

He was then asked if he was referring to El Clásico when mentioned games Real Madrid “won without deserving to” and he replied: “If we had to win one out of the two, better to have won against Barcelona than against Rayo.”

Ancelotti on whether there is fatigue Asked if he feels the squad is fatigued, he was adamant that this isn’t the case, stating: “I think today’s performance shows the opposite. In terms of energy, the level was high. I didn’t see fatigue in the players.”

Ancelotti on the lack of goals On the team’s inability to take their chances, and asked if they’re too reliant on Bellingham, he said: “We have many attacking resources. We created with Valverde, Vinícius, Joselu and Rodrygo. We just lacked some in the finishing. I’m not worried that we didn’t score.”

Ancelotti on the Modrić substitution Luka Modrić was one of the players who was creating chances, so the coach was asked why he substituted the Croatian off. He explained: “We wanted to change the system and open up the pitch with Rodrygo, and play 4-3-3. I thought about who to take off, but I decided to take off Modrić to add more energy.”

Ancelotti on Arda Güler Asked about Arda Güler and when he’ll make his debut, Ancelotti said: “It wasn’t the right moment for that today. It was a hard-fought game, with lots of aerial balls towards the end. We want to be calm with introducing him.”