Ancelotti and Modric stopped to highlight it in the previous. “Against Real Sociedad he showed all his physical and technical quality. I have a lot of confidence in him, whether he plays as a starter or comes off the bench,” said the coach. Minutes before, the Croatian had elaborated a bit more: “He’s very young, you have to be patient with him, but he has personality, he’s strong and he’s not afraid. We, the veterans, are here to help and advise him. The great game is no coincidence what did you do on Saturday”. They talked about Camavinga, who had a remarkable match against Real Sociedad on Saturday. A player that few counted on for the key dates of the season and who now has options to be a starter against PSG if Kroos does not reach 100% for the match.
His teammate Modric pointed out the secret: “You see him train, improve and you know he has a huge future ahead of him.” Nevertheless, At 19 years old, Camavinga is the youngest of the Madrid squad. He is still an apprentice in a locker room full of teachers, with hundreds of games behind him and full of titles. ‘Edu’, as Modric referred to him, had some dazzling first minutes in the white shirt: a goal against Celta and an assist for Rodrygo against Inter. Arguments for Ancelotti to give him the title against Mallorca. In successive games he showed an excess of revolutions, which cost him to go to the bench prematurely loaded with yellow, while at times he revealed a lack of tactical discipline. Sins of youth that seem more in a team that in midfield has three players like Modric, Casemiro and Kroos.
The Brazilian will not be able to play against PSG due to suspension and the German arrives in cotton wool due to hamstring discomfort. The first absence opens the doors of eleven to Valverde as the first candidate; the uncertainty with Kroos gives Camavinga the chance to play against a PSG against whom he already shone when he was still a 16-year-old boy who was beginning to stand out at Rennes.
Camavinga, the first of the others
The confidence that Ancelotti has placed in his gala eleven and the lack of rotations are reflected in the distribution of minutes in the squad. 15 players exceed 40% of the minutes played in the 39 games played by Real Madrid this season. The last of that group is Rodrygo, who has played 1,465 minutes (41% of the possible). Behind the Brazilian, a gap opens after which Camavinga appears in first position, already more than 500 minutes behind the player from São Paulo. The Frenchman has played 951 minutes, 26.6%which are worth it to lead a group that includes Hazard, Marcelo, Jovic, Isco, Bale, Lunin, Mariano, Ceballos and Vallejo.