3 reasons why Eduardo Camavinga should play for Toni Kroos more often
3. Camavinga is improving as a No. 8
When Eduardo Camavinga arrived at Real Madrid, a lot of people thought that he might act as a backup to Casemiro, the team’s only defensive midfielder. Even Carlo Ancelotti saw Camavinga as a No. 6, often giving him a chance to start as the lone pivot. But I’ve always seen Camavinga as a box-to-box midfielder and an able No. 8, something that I’ve discussed in the past as well.
As I’ve mentioned above, Camavinga’s main strengths are his energy, ball-winning and ball-carrying abilities, and in the No.6 position, he doesn’t get a lot of scope to make use of his strengths. He would still make a good pivot, but he can make a better No. 8. Even Carlo Ancelotti seems to have realised that with time, starting the 19-year-old as a central midfielder against Real Sociedad and Getafe, in the position of Toni Kroos.
Camavinga absolutely bossed the midfield in both those games, especially against Real Sociedad, as you can observe in the visualisation below. He had also proved that he can be a huge goal threat, by scoring a 30-yard screamer with his left boot to level the scoreline.
Eduardo Camavinga vs Real Sociedad | La Liga 21-22
— Yash (@Odriozolite) March 5, 2022
Deployed in a more advanced role alongside Modric & Casemiro, Camavinga was able to showcase his true strengths. His positioning helped Madrid defend high up the pitch in moments of turnover.
Scored a beauty as well! pic.twitter.com/VnDoertUbR
He didn’t get a goal or assist against Getafe last week, but this performance was even better, as he got to play for the whole 90 minutes and recorded a pass success rate of 93%, won 7 duels, made 5 interceptions and registered one key pass, as per Sofascore.
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Camavinga’s performance as a No.8 is improving with more playing time in that position, and given his age, consistent game time either as a sub or as a starter is needed for the player’s development. With Real Madrid planning to build a team for the future, Camavinga’s development should be a priority for the club, and this just gives us another reason why the teenager needs to be rotated more with Toni Kroos.