While most Real Madrid players have looked off colour after the World Cup break, one man who has stepped up his performances in recent weeks is Eduardo Camavinga. Of course, he has not been perfect, but there has been a lot to be encouraged about after what was a difficult first half of the campaign for the Frenchman.
In the Spanish Super Cup final against Barcelona, he was one of the better performers in the opening 45 minutes as well, while Toni Kroos and Luka Modric struggled beside.
Yet, it was Camavinga who was subbed off at half-time by Carlo Ancelotti. And it was not the first time that the Italian manager took him off at the break either, and has led to some debate amongst fans over the past few days.
It remains to be seen if things change for Camavinga moving forward but Ancelotti seems to have complete faith in the midfielder, despite taking him off at half-time on numerous occasions. As reported by Real Madrid’s official website, the manager said:
"“The substitution against Valencia was a technical one. He played well, but I changed him so as not to risk playing with 10 players. He played well against Barcelona, but I switched him because I wanted to bring more players on up front. I really believe in him. Admittedly, I’ve taken him off a number of times at the end of the first half and I haven’t always been fair to him in this respect, but I have complete confidence in him and he’ll contribute to the team tomorrow just as he always does.”"
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Camavinga enjoyed a promising debut campaign in the Royal White jersey last season and the hope was that he would take the next step this time around, and become a more regular feature in midfield.
That has not happened though. In fact, in the first half of the campaign, it looked like he was slipping down in the pecking order.
Camavinga has done well in recent times though and appears to have gotten some of his confidence back. But the important thing right now would be to give him more minutes, especially when he is one of the only few who seems to be in some kind of form.
Real Madrid have looked sluggish in the second half of the campaign and they need some inspiration to get out of this rough patch of form.