Former Real Madrid forward and director of football Predrag Mijatovic has voiced strong criticism regarding the team’s midfield performance after their recent 0-1 loss to Lille in the Champions League.
Mijatovic pointed out that while the team is generally solid defensively and Lille did not put on a stellar display, there are significant areas where Real Madrid needs to improve. He expressed concerns about the overall effectiveness of the midfield players.
“The team is not bad defensively and Lille did not play a great game either, but I think that Real Madrid needs to improve many things,” he began by saying as quoted by MARCA.
No rock and roll midfield
The former player is particularly sceptical of the style of play that head coach Carlo Ancelotti has described as “rock and roll.”
Mijatovic questioned whether this approach can be successful when the midfield lacks the necessary creativity, particularly with players like Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga, Federico Valverde, and Jude Bellingham on the field.
“Honestly, I’m not convinced by this midfield. I think the problem against Lille was the midfield. It’s a midfield that’s too physical and doesn’t have much creativity.”
Mijatovic lamented the absence of key players such as Luka Modric and Toni Kroos, indicating that their leadership and skill are sorely missed in the team.
He remarked that Tchouameni, Camavinga, and Valverde are too focused on physicality, which detracts from the style of play that Real Madrid is known for.
“I think Tchouameni, Camavinga and Valverde are too muscular and too tough with the ball. I think that this is not a midfield that is suitable for Real Madrid’s game.”
There is a lack of creativity
Furthermore, he pointed out that the midfield’s lack of creativity significantly affects the performance of players like Vinicius.
Mijatovic explained that Vinicius relies heavily on receiving quality passes to showcase his skills, and during the match against Lille, the midfield did not provide the kind of service necessary for him to be effective.
“I have missed Luka Modric a lot and Toni Kroos is not here”
“You were talking about Vinicius’ poor performance, but his way of playing depends a lot on the balls that come to him. Against Lille, we didn’t have the creative midfield that can give him the useful balls for him to play his game,” he explained.
Regarding the starting position of Endrick, who replaced Kylian Mbappé in the lineup, Mijatovic stated that this decision was anticipated.
However, he believes that Endrick is not yet ready for a starting role and would benefit more from coming off the bench to exploit the weaknesses of tired opponents.
“I don’t think Endrick is ready to start yet. I think he needs to come off the bench this year to take advantage of the opposition’s low level and score a goal,” he concluded.