Raul and Real Madrid Juvenil A on the cusp of history
By Ben Sundock
Raul and Real Madrid’s Juvenil A team (under 19) have turned their season around in stunning fashion. Raul has his young players in the UEFA Youth League final for the first time and on the brink of making club history.
“Enjoy [the game],” Raul said during his Monday press conference. “We will try to continue in the same manner as the previous games so that you can see a team that wants to win, work, fight and play good football. From the first minute you see a team with a clear idea of winning. We are going to try [to win].”
Raul could further his Real Madrid legacy by leading the youth squad to their first ever European club competition title tomorrow night against SL Benfica.
Raul in just over a year as a manager has proven that he very well could be the next Zinedine Zidane because of his ability to connect with and develop young talent.
Keep in mind, however, that this is a temporary move for the legendary player. Raul took over for Dani Poyatos who left to take the first-team job in Greece with Panathinaikos. Raúl González Blanco will return to Real Madrid B (Castilla) for next season after coaching them to a seventh-place finish in the Segunda Division B table in 2019/2020.
Will Raul stick to his big-guns in this match and align his team in a 4-1-4-1 like he did against Red Bull Salzburg in the semifinals? He better!
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Raul claimed in his pre-match presser that Benfica is the best team in this competition and it is hard to deny that claim. The side hailing from Portugal won five of their six group stage matches and scored three goals or more in each of their knockout stage matches.
Furthermore, Benfica scored the second most goals in the tournament – only behind Salzburg – with 27 and was second in total attempts on goal and shots on target (also behind Salzburg).
So, when Real Madrid Juvenil A steps onto the pitch in Nyon, Switzerland for the final, they have the confidence knowing they shutdown the prolific attack of Salzburg and can do it again against Benfica.