Raúl returns to the bench

Raul You will have to shorten your vacation because you will double this season. After abruptly ending the season of Castile by COVID-19, the technician will take command of the Madrid youth team for the Youth League, the Champions League for the U19 players. The bench of the Youth A white is empty after Dani Poyatos's march to Panathinaikos Greek and the national competition has already ended. But the European does return: on August 16 the round of 16 are played, in a single match, against Juventus in Nyon (Switzerland).

Dani Poyatos said goodbye last week although he has not yet been officially announced by Panathinaikos as his new coach. He Madrid evaluated available options that were less traumatic. That of Raúl (who will also be able to 'download' to various castillistas with whom he works regularly) was the most exciting and the one that least disturbed the plans of the entity, which does not want to rush with the new tenant of the first Juvenile, the most pampered team of Factory. A team, by the way, that Raúl did not go through in this formative stage as a coach. Last season was his first in Valdebebas after taking the title. He started it in Cadet B and finished it in Juvenile B. And from there, last summer, to Castilla.

The club has yet to communicate the squad that will be cited before two weeks to return to training, but it is expected that the seven pull several castillistas who by age (in fact they are juniors) can be registered and have already played Poyatos' orders in the group stage. There stand out several castillistas of this course: Antonio Blanco and Miguel Baeza, the pichichi of the white branch (nine goals).

The format. The Juvenil of Madrid will have a small advantage in the forced change of format of the Youth League because of COVID-19. From playing in Turin (single game, as is the norm in this competition) to doing it now on neutral ground. UEFA has decided, as with the Champions, to concentrate what remains of the competition in the same venue. Nyon, who regularly hosts the Final Four (Madrid played it three times), will bring together the remaining eighths, the quarterfinals and that Final to Four.

The club continues to restructure 'La Fábrica'

Three weeks ago, Madrid took a relevant turn in what their quarry will be like in the near future. Ramón Martínez, the historic head of La Fábrica, was promoted to deputy to the general management of the club (along with José Ángel Sánchez) and his position became for Manu Fernández, until then coach of Juvenil B and also the son of the historic former manager of the club, Manuel Fernández Wheat. The first movement was the departure of Martínez's right hand, Manolo Diaz. At the moment it continues Alfredo Merino, number three in the previous organization chart. Inside the new pyramid of coaches, he is looking for a place to Arbeloa for his first experience as a technician (presumably in the Infantil B) and working on the configuration of the different templates. There are arrivals of children already closed since before the coronavirus, such as the cases of Kenneth Soler (Espanyol) and Axel Espínola (Damm).