Real Madrid: Three rotational changes Carlo Ancelotti should make more often

Eduardo Camavinga

When you have midfield options like Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Casemiro, and Fede Valverde, you wouldn’t want to invest a lot of money to sign another midfielder, because anyone would be unsure of the playing time that would be given to the player. That player is Eduardo Camavinga in this case, on whom more than 30 million euros were spent.

I didn’t expect to see a lot of Camavinga in this season, but I’ve been happy with the way he has been given responsibility from his first day in Madrid and the way he got to start against some mid-table LaLiga teams and even got to play as a sub in a handful of games. He started two of the six matches sandwiched between the last two international breaks, both as a central midfielder.

I’m still not completely satisfied with the way Camavinga has been playing, as he is making some mistakes that you expect from a teenager from time to time, particularly with the way he dives into making rash fouls and ends up with a yellow card. But his performances have been convincing to some extent, and they are enough to gain the manager’s trust.

He has played as a central midfielder so far, covering mostly for Luka Modric or Fede Alverde, by playing in the right-sided central midfielder role. But he has never been used in his natural position of a defensive midfielder. Casemiro has been the undisputed starter for Real Madrid in that position for years, playing most of the time without a proper backup.

With an able player like Camavinga in the side, maybe it is time for Carlo Ancelotti to rest Casemiro for a relatively easier game in a tight schedule, and entrust a supremely talented player like Camavinga with the duty of covering for the Brazilian tank. Not to forget that Casemiro is a regular starter for Brazil as well.

At the beginning of the season, Antonio Blanco was assumed to be Casemiro’s backup. But now it seems unlikely that Blanco will be used anytime soon, with lack of regular playing time giving us further reason to rule out a first-team start. At such a time, it would make sense to try Camavinga in Casemiro’s position, which looks like a practical option for Carlo Ancelotti.