Ode don't have runners infront of him to release those through balls in Madrid. I think he is not compatible with Benz.

Apparently he asked to leave and he will leave on loan at least, he will probably be sold in the summer I think his contract goes to 2022.

Sad outcome, but he could not fit our 433 and needed a formation change to be relevant. The games he started were great and then Modric came back. Not to mention his physical issues... it’s disappointing he could not play better for us.

Bye

Shambles

I don't understand where Zidane is going this season. He's alienating every young player we have and going back to the 2016 team

Someone needs to check on him. He's obviously gone crazy

I have a question for the panel ; rit is based on Nick's post. Should the talent dictate the formation or the formation dictate how the talent is used?

Is he alienating young players or young players are not playing up to the standards and the pressure of the club?

I think the later, I have my problems with Zidane but from a player management point of view, I don’t put the blame of any of this on him

titosantill wrote:I have a question for the panel ; rit is based on Nick's post. Should the talent dictate the formation or the formation dictate how the talent is used?

It always depends of how great a talent you are dealing with, compared to the rest but in 99.9% of situations, the formation takes precedent because it accounts for the strength and weaknesses of the group.

Odegaard simply is not good enough that we should completely change what the team is comfortable with, to accommodate him, or with this team, and that’s ok.

It’s just too bad that he got that injury at La Real and he has been a shadow of what we saw in the first half of la liga last year

Another talented youngster ruined by a delusional president who somehow thought he could turn Madrid into a talent development haven after building his entire career success on Galacticos. And ironically enough, he decided to do all that with a coach who has zero skills in talent development.

What else is new.

Mr Nick09 wrote:Is he alienating young players or young players are not playing up to the standards and the pressure of the club?

I think the later, I have my problems with Zidane but from a player management point of view, I don’t put the blame of any of this on him

I disagree. I'm not saying to play every player 90 minutes but even Fede isn't playing. You need to give them chances to show what they can do on the pitch. 30 minutes here, play them in a dead rubber game. Let's not act like guys like Asensio and Varane are world beaters right now.

Tactically, I actually don't have a big problem with zidane. People don't realize we have problems all over the pitch.. but at least integrate guys like Fede and Hakimi.. i understand guys like Vini getting benched.. i really do, but there's no way you can tell me that Kroos, Varane, Hazard, Asensio, LV, and even Case are undropable. the only ones who can have that title right now is Modric, Ramos, Benz (who needs a break badly), and Thibu

Zidane is afraid to move away from the old guard.

I don't want to call Zidane weak. But he's acting like it.

Bailed on Hakimi and Reguilon. Both players could've been used. But if they stayed he would've still played Vazquez and Marcelo ahead of them.

Now Odegaard. The boy is so good.

He is doing it to Valverde now. When was the last time he started a match?

The problem is that the level Modric reached recently, and what he gives to the team in his position when he is on, no other midfielder in the squad can give that to Madrid.

Don’t blame it on Zidane or Modric, Valverde and co. simply cant reach a certain level, it’s plain and obvious they don’t have that talent or quality. And what’s fair is fair, when Valverde was playing good last year, Modric was on the bench, so it goes around.

It's the system. He has to adjust it.

He has to incorporate these younger players

He doesn't have much of a choice now. This season is too condensed to not try to give these guys game time.

I don't think 35 year old Modric should be starting every game.
I don't think 33 year old Benzema should starting every game.

here's my take on the question i asked;
nick makes a solid point, it depends on the talent
you also have to look at the team's balance
but every game what's the biggest complaint we have? its what's up with all these crosses? odegaard brings something a little different; passes in the final third. granted its not like he's a goat or all star, but it begs the question; must it be 4 3 3 or bust?

Why are we even signing developing players, among the greatest, young talents in their respective positions - only to declare them positionally inadequate, and waste valuable time that could’ve been spent honing and developing their abilities elsewhere?

Are we that devoted to making sure these players don’t end up in a rival club? And if so, wouldn’t it be counter-productive to establish our position as the top graveyard for young prospects in Europe in that process? I mean, who’s benefiting from this transfer strategy

Talent scouting has never been more important than it is in today’s inflated market. We did some great business leading up to our most successful period of this decade, arguably past two decades, back when we could afford to flex our financial muscles. We don’t quite have that luxury now, and yet we’re doing our best impression of Barca’s transfer strategy.

@Cyborg, Zidane has a choice and he is making choices every week. The young players have to beat out the veterans to win their spot. Benzema was in ferocious battles with Highain for years, but Jovic can’t do it? Marcelo the same and now Mendy benched him. It’s a cycle and it goes around.

@Tito, to play Odegaard as CM you need a double pivot that runs for him, we are not equipped to have a double pivot, whereas you can fit Valverde or Modric in a 433 where the other guys in midfield are comfortable. He brings something different but at what cost and at what level? We are not real Sociedad and even then after his injuries he is not the same player

Talking about Odegaard when the likes of Asensio, Vazquez, Hazard start every fkin game is bad form. What formation ? this 433 that accomodates only players that will retire or leave over the next 30 months ?
out of zidane’s untouchables, only Courtois, Varane and Casemiro are guaranteed to start in 23/24. even last year, without Valverde and Vini’s flashes of brilliance, his untouchables wouldn’t have won shit. we’ve played our best football since 2018 with both on the pitch.

Fede and Odegaard are both among the most talented young players in europe and both are suited to 4231 formation. casemiro can also play in a double pivot as shown countless of times before. we also want camavinga who’s at his best in a 2 man midfield. but we exclusively stick with that 2015/16 midfield, with grandpa Modric and Kroos who runs as fast as me. we have not once seen Casemiro - Valverde - Odegaard in midfield. that should of been the next step after building that chemistry between Valverde and Casemiro last season. they not played once together in 6 months because zidane wants to buy washed up Pogba and play the most rigid 433 i’ve ever seen in my life. inb4 21/22 midfield of Pogba Isco Modric Kroos and Casemiro. tears in my eyes. even Isco who hasn’t had a good game since 2018 and doesn’t even look like a footballer plays over odegaard. that fraud asensio has 1 goal and 2 assists this season yet plays every fkin game. gtfo

less to say about the fact that we score a goal every 3 games and I can’t remember seeing on the pitch the striker we signed last summer.

We can’t keep losing highly talented players at the expense of washed up 35 years old legends, lovely scrubs like Vazquez (who has been a starter in the past 19 games btw - stuff to tell ur grandchildren about) or frauds like Crapsensio. If Odegaard leaves and we don’t win la liga, Zidane should go. that’s would be a 100m player that left the club for Zidane to win nothing with his pals.

Lmao

1) Modric is better than Odegaard right now plain and simple and that’s why he is playing

2) Odegaard’s knee is busted, not to mention he can’t play our 433. Zidane lined him up first game in la liga and always looked to opportunities to play him. If he is not playing, that’s because he is not good enough

3) Valverde is just a high energy midfielder that runs a lot, can’t pass, no vision, can’t control the play... he just lacks skills. Not to mention since he returned from injury, he doesn’t yet look the same and Modric is back at his level

4) A harsh reality is that a lot of those kids including the likes of Vinicius are not good enough for Madrid. The gamble is not working and the club needs to quickly spin out of it

5) for the all the hate on Pogba, he is a more creative midfielder than anyone in the team and would easily walk into a starting position. It’s a simple fact and if one day Odegaard or Valverde become as good as he is, they should count themselves to be very lucky

Are you back on the Pogba bandwagon, now that he’s had 3 positive performances in half a season?

For how many years does he have to look like a liability at club level before you admit that he has the consistency of a sunday league player? I would tear my hair out if I had to watch him being started by Zidane, despite the aforementioned flaw of his.

He’s more technically and physically blessed than Bruno Fernandes, yet looks like 1/10 of the player over the course of a league season. That’s how substantial consistency and productivity are. Don’t underestimate it.

As for Modric, he’s 35 and has looked largely poor since the last time we won the Champions League. I love that he’s in form at the moment, but even with Odegaard out of the equation, he’ll need to be replaced sooner rather than later.

Wow.. that is such a fucking awful take nick. You’re drunk

The shit you just said on valverde man I’m going to rip you a new one when I’m off work

I’m shocked you think I’m gonna give a damn about anything to write. Let me give you a hint...I don’t care

1. couldn’t give a shit if he’s better now (how we know anyway Odegaard hasn’t even played for us) since we aren’t winning anything with the current team of washed up players. the goal is to win when the new Bernabeu will be finished in 22/23. we should now build a team that can dominate in 2022, and Modric & co are in no way capable of doing that lol

2. what u know about his knee ? he’s played 200 mins since zidane called him. and when he played he had grandpas modric and kroos behind him lol. i remember modric and kroos playing awful stuff without casemiro and we’re judging odegaard on 200 mins spent on the pitch with these old men providing cover

3. u have mud in ur eyes or what ? He can pass, shoot, dribble past players, defend and run like a madman at high pace at both ends and has elite uruguayan mentality. the one u talking about must be that scrub playing every game asensio. fkin useless. can’t ask more from a box-to-box mid. maybe ask Zidane to actually play him since our best passages of play over the past 18 months had him on the pitch

4. vini’s confidence was destroyed after Z made that glorious decision of playing his son hazard for the first time in 9 months against City in the CL. the young brazuka deserved to start after his showings in La Liga but he got KOd by Z (and lately by his french gang of douchebags - feck me dat scrub mendy has been playing against us ever since, awful player). not the first to get KOd by Z and going by what’s happening not the last

5. is Pogba still playing football ? he’s been injured for years now but still not even at his best a better option than what we should see now but we don’t.

Nick is absolutely right. What is special about Fifi other than his athleticism and speed? This isn't cross country racing you guys

he could probably rape your new midfield idol and get away with it

If you honestly watched Madrid, watched football, watched Valverde play football for an extended period of time, and you thought Valverde was gonna be an elite player, you are probably a family member and you need to sit down

such a cheap post lol, that know it all attitude is deplorable for a nutcase like u with a well known history of nonsense posts

take a nap boy, you’re tired.

Valk you just mad both guys from your avatar is flops

nah, Valk has a point. Those two were two diamonds in a rough, but Madrid crushed them, just like they crushed most if not all of the youngsters they signed and rarely ever played.