Real Madrid: 5 stars and 2 flops from an eventful January

Star: CM Eduardo Camavinga

Much like the veteran Isco, Eduardo Camavinga too had limited opportunities in the league, he only featured once in LaLiga in the whole of January. That was against Valencia is a sparkling 4-1 victory. He didn’t have much to do and he was neat and tidy in seeing the game out. He was given a few minutes in extra time in the semifinal of the Supercup against FC Barcelona, another game without much to do either. He came on after Valverde’s winner and saw the game through.

However, when the youngster was called into action, he spoke the loudest. His opportunities came in the Copa del Rey and undoubtedly he was one of the players to have made the most of the opportunities in the Spanish Cup. Not only did he make up for missed starting opportunities in the top flight, but he also made quite the case for a more regular starter’s role in Ancelotti’s plans for LaLiga. At just 19 years of age, it is so mesmerizing to see Camavinga’s fluency and rhythm on the ball. He makes the job of anchoring play in midfield look so easy that Madridistas can be hopeful about the Frenchman being Real’s key man in their future lineup.

He was Los Blancos’ best performer against Alcoyano in a number 8’s role and he did an even better job against Elche in a number 6 role. He improved from 85% to 95% in terms of accurate passes that included a 100% accuracy at long balls (4/4). His defensive contribution always stands out and in this game, he again stood out with 3 tackles and 3 interceptions, per SofaScore. His versatility is coming to be of great use to Madrid and a bright future in the Royal White color is seemingly on its way.

Flop: LB Marcelo

Club captain Marcelo doesn’t seem to have the legs he used to during his prime. He had decent opportunities in January to show that he could be useful for Real Madrid in the remainder of the season. But, his performances convinced us otherwise. He had a couple of bright moments against Elche in the Copa but ultimately, he fell short in his defensive contribution and ended up with a straight red card and a three-match ban for passing comment on the referee.

He played very badly against Alcoyano which was his first start of the month. Before that match, Marcelo had a bright game offensively against Getafe. Trailing to a goal, Carlo Ancelotti threw all his cards at the Coliseum and Marcelo was one of them. Marcelo still offers decently in attack but his defensive contribution and lack of pace are deadly during breaks. It seems like retiring at the end of the season would be the best call for the club legend who now has 23 titles with the club, tied with the legendary Paco Gento who recently passed away.