Welcome Brahim Diaz!

Doc wrote:I still don't mind Vasquez coming off the bench (if he minds that is another story) but Asensio clearly doesn't have the mental fortitude to really shine in this team. Which sucks as I was a real fan of his...

We need to find a new Vasquez for Zidane 2nd Era. A new Vasquez and a new Nacho. Those are past it

Problem is no player want to be the 3rd option off the bench. Those guys are hard to replace because they accept a bench role and they have enough quality and experience that you can rely on them. I would personally enjoy if we bring back Hermoso for example but I would also understand if he doesn't want to be a 4th option CB

Doc wrote:It's like Madrid forgot that wingers are suppose to actually be able to take on their man constantly. Sigh. Anyway, Diaz and Vini (and hopefully Hazard) would bring things back to some sane place.

am I riiiiiiiiite? I mean watching Madrid and seeing wingers go at fullbacks not knowing what to do is so refreshing to me. I love it, moaaaar please I need moar

kids shouldn't stay at Madrid... I'm gonna keep saying this. Unless you're a phenom, it's not to your benefit. Go out and gain some experience and then come back to be a regular.

I believe it will come down to either Asensio or Brahim stays with club next season. Both will likely go to training camp! Certainly after past few games, the edge goes to Brahim.

I say this as I believe front 3 or 4 (including backups) next year will be Benzema, Jovic, Hazard, Vinicius, Rodrygo, likely Raul de Tomas and then also included as squad player Lucas. That's more than enough but if they play 4 attackers, there is room for one of Asensio or Brahim or even possibly Isco, although at this point I kind of doubt that.

@Bill. We're signing a veteran right winger. We have to. I don't see us going into next season with kids + Asensio/Isco/Lucas. Need a more proven quantity.

They has been ZERO news / hints / nada from the club re another winger. The only news re RW exists here in GL. I say it is a figment of your mind! The starters IMO are going to be Benzema, Hazard, Jovic or Vinicius!

And given Rodrygo is reported the better of the two, we will likely see Rodrygo enter into picture before season’s end.

Last week you were saying get rid of entire midfield, now you seem to be saying same re forwards with exception of Benz!!

Asensio is a 0, mentality of a puss, a winger that can't dribble will never amount to anything unless he has another elite skill, which Asensio doesn't.

Asensio let me down big time this season. Diaz, whom was in the shadow realm since he came, is taking his chance. Vini, fresh from Castilla and Brasilian League, took his chance and now looks like he'll probably be part of the 1st team for the foreseeable future. Asensio, sigh, I really don't know what happened but I think a loan might sort his head out. You can't be a wuss at this club, you just can't.

Also, we do have an experience RW lol. His name is Lucas Vasquez What we need are talented RWs, not so much experience.

I don’t know what happened to Asensio nor Isco for that matter. It is extremely difficult to assess what happened to both of them. They both went from extremely good performances at WC as well as good last season. Mindset is obviously part of it, but there has to be more to it. Zidane did have confidence in both if them and you can see he is trying to rejuvenate them and I’m sure he is equally puzzled. However, hE does have to make a decision, can he get them back to what they were as well as will there be a spot for them in the renewed lineup? I suspect the answer in both cases is probably not!

Lucas was our best and most productive RWer this year... ponder that for a second lol.

Not sure what your point is Sports. We all know how bad this year’s team has been been! Lucas won’t be a starter nor will he likely be 2nd choice re RW.

I think it’s pretty clear, the starters will be Hazard, Benz, Jovic or Vinicius, if they play with 3 Cms or all 4 of them if it’s 2.

futbol_bill wrote:Not sure what your point is Sports. We all know how bad this year’s team has been been! Lucas won’t be a starter nor will he likely be 2nd choice re RW.

I think it’s pretty clear, the starters will be Hazard, Benz, Jovic or Vinicius, if they play with 3 Cms or all 4 of them if it’s 2.

Point is how our planning was so piss poor this season... You had older guys coming back from the world cup, no depth and wishful thinking all across the board.

Basically talking to myself lol. It was a traumatic year.

I mean, your country won the World Cup so you at least have that. Sure, Marseille and Madrid had diarrhea all over the place but World Champions is still a thing lol.

In my opinion, it was not the wrong strategy to look at players like Asensio and Isco at the start of last season, and to say "the team is yours". However they were a complete flop.

For a club like Madrid, attackers need to be elite at a level where they have a multi dimensional game: they can create with the ball and without it. Asensio is unable of doing that, he has an incredible shot, but it's hard for him to dribble to create separation and to uncork his shot. Isco, i think he started the year great and got injured, but then he decided to fight with Solari and that was it.

We can move on from both, thanks for participating.

You don't gamble with no backup if you're Madrid.

They gambled the entire attack on Bale, Benzema, Isco and Asensio... all of them were big risks.  I'd argue that odds were against pretty much all of them.  3 of them were bench players under ZZ by the time he left and the other isn't an alpha.  Benzema eventually coming good was the only one that worked (the only regular from last year).

Also, Modric was coming off a WC and was aging.  Casemiro is injury prone and coming off a poor season.  Kroos was the only one that could be considered a sure thing (he wasn't).  Yet, you count on a bunch of nobody kids to back them up?

On defense, Nacho, Reguilon (less than the others) and the other fullback whose name I can't spell pretty much shat the bed.  Varane just won a WC and had your typical post WC swoon.  Ramos wasn't exactly great either.

I won't even get into buying Courtois to replace Navas.

Hindsight is 20/20...  but we gambled that a bunch of kids would step up.  None of them did.  We didn't address any of our problems with know quantities. In short, we acted like Monaco has done for years as opposed to what a club like Madrid should.

Brahim looks good. He has a bit of cockiness and confidence Not afraid to take on defense.

But there are so many young player. Who do you keep in the squad of 24 or 25 players.

Brahim
Vinicus
Odegaard
Rodrygo
De Tomas
Mayoral
Hakimi
Theo Hernandez

Then there's
James
Kovacic

Of those that you listed I think Brahim, Vini, and RDT are going to be in the squad. (Mariano to be sold to make way for RDT).

Hakimi has another year left in Dortmund, and the rest will either go back out on loan or be sold. And Vini won't be on the periphery. I think he will be the first off the bench.

That’s quite a list, but reality is other than those Deez mentioned, none of the rest are no longer in the club’s plans.

Mr Nick09 wrote:THIS SHORTY IS A BALLER

I AM HIS N1 FAN

B-A-L-L-E-R

What's the deal with Brahim?

Paid 20mil for him when he could have been free six months later. Now he not even making the team.

Injuries aside, he's been sidelined for the entire season. I've seen him play once as a sub this season.

Any insight on this? Is he just not good or is his age keeping him out the squad.

Just injuries. He was set to go out on loan in preseason, then Asensio went down for year and he had a chance but got injured again! Then in season, he has again been injured again and now is behind Bale, Vinicius, Rodrygo and Lucas for minutes!

I think he has had 3 or maybe it’s 4 injuries. He’ll need to go out on loan next season to develop.

Yeah, it's mostly injuries that has hampered his playing time considerably. When he used to come on at the tail end of last season, I think Zidane was liking what he was seeing. But injury after injury has left him in the cold in a huge way.

Not sure who is his agent but maybe a January loan move would be extremely ideal for the young man.