Real Madrid: Camavinga, Valverde must have Ancelotti’s trust now

Football’s a funny sport, and Real Madrid is one, intriguing part of it. You could be one of the most sought after midfielders in the world, the most coveted young midfielder in the world, and yet, you would have to struggle for minutes at a club like Real Madrid.

It doesn’t help Eduardo Camavinga that the three midfielders he has in front of him helped the team do something no other team has been able to do in the Champions League: Win three titles in a row, and four in five years. It’s a really, really big achievement, and the fact that we have seen teams like Liverpool, Bayern – and now, Chelsea – fail to do half of what that iconic team did, makes the overall achievement all the more incredible, and shows you how difficult it is to win just one of those big-eared trophies.

But Camavinga and Fede Valverde, in their own right, managed to do something not many people before them have been able to do. They waited patiently, and took their chances when the team needed them to do just that the most. Odegaard wasn’t able to provide that and left, as did Kovacic, as did Llorente, as did so many others. Not these two stars, though.

In the second leg vs PSG, Real Madrid didn’t have Casemiro in the squad due to suspension, so Carlo Ancelotti went for Valverde in the line-up. Valverde fought for every ball, every pass, every single thing that he could’ve done, he did it. It wasn’t enough, though.

Soon in the second half, the coach subbed Kroos off for Camavinga, and the whole game changed. Real Madrid started getting more of the ball, they started being more physical, more explosive, and creating more chances than they did in the first three-quarters of the tie. You know what happened after.

Against Chelsea, in the first leg, Ancelotti went for Valverde as the team’s right-winger, finally giving the fans what they had been asking for months. And it paid off; Valverde was one of Real Madrid’s best players in that game, solidifying his spot as the team’s best right-winger.

Now, it was evident that Chelsea, being two goals down, would be much, much more aggressive and physical in the second leg. This game was screaming for some Camavinga, and yet, Ancelotti went for the usual midfield of Casemiro, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric.

The team suffered. They didn’t have the physicality for a game like this, especially Kroos, who was asked to do something he just can’t do anymore. Soon after Camavinga entered the game, everything changed, yet again. Real Madrid had more of the ball, they won more duels, and they created more chances. They scored more goals.

All of this is not a knock on Kroos, by the way. Yes, he didn’t have the best of games, but this wasn’t the game for him. It wasn’t on the German that he couldn’t do what was asked of him. Running around, pressing, defending, it’s just not his primary role, (especially against such an energetic midfield of Ruben Loftus-Cheek, N’golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic) and couple that with his age, Kroos was bound to suffer. He was sent in that battle to die. I can’t blame him for that. Or at least, solely him.

It was Carlo’s fault, but he made the decision to bring Camavinga on just in time. It would’ve been better had the Frenchman been brought on sooner, even better had he just started.

In both games, Carlo gave minutes to Camavinga and Valverde. In both games, it was the right call. Starting Valverde was the right option. Even though Valverde didn’t have as big of an impact in the second leg vs Chelsea as he did in the first, it was much, much more than what Asensio would’ve given to this team.

Rodrygo playing on the right-wing as a sub was the correct choice, and moving Valverde back to the midfield helped Real Madrid win back the ball, be more assertive and allowed Modric to do his thing in the offense, which led to the first goal. Camavinga’s will to win and dominate in such a big game like this was a big reason why he was able to make the interception in the build-up for the second goal. I am sure Real Madrid would’ve lost the game if it wasn’t for Camavinga.

All of this was just so, so good to see. We’re witnessing two young stars – who are going to dominate the game for years to come – show that they are up for whatever the coach wants from them. They’re not afraid of the big stage, and would do anything to win.

The scary part is that neither of these players is in peak form right now. They are both far from it, and yet, they are so important to this team’s success. I wouldn’t even call them players for the future. They’re helping the team right now, when it’s needed. Every single time they are called upon, Camavinga and Fede always deliver. They give their all. They do their best.

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And all of this makes me think about that one quote from Ancelotti about having players that he doesn’t trust; Surely, Camavinga and Valverde aren’t on that list anymore, are they? They can’t be. Real Madrid need to make sure they don’t make the same mistake with these players that they did with a Hakimi or an Odegaard, though they had reasons for the latter.

Camavinga and Fede are good enough to start now. Maybe not every single game, but many/most of them. They’ve earned those starts, and it is time they get what they deserve. For Ancelotti, starting or not starting Camavinga and/or Fede is not about trust, anymore. It’s about choice, and he better make the right one.