Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho basically confirmed in his press conference before the game against Malaga that Yan Diomande is still not ready to start for the team.
He did not explicitly say it, but he alluded to it, saying that he is getting more and more ready and progressing slowly but surely.
That is something that you say about a player who you know is going to eventually start for the club at some point, but at the moment is just not ready.
He said: "Diomande arrived late at Real Madrid. He’s progressing gradually. He’s getting more and more ready.”
It is better to ease Yan Diomande into the Real Madrid starting XI
That is the case with Diomande, and it will be interesting to see how many minutes he gets for Real Madrid in the game against Malaga.
He has been getting more and more minutes in these last two games, so the feeling is he will get more than that this time around. He might even get a full half if Real Madrid are in a comfortable position for him to come in.
Even if they are not, Diomande can still provide a lot to the team with his technical ability and his way to cause chaos inside the attacking third.
However, it is also worth noting that until Diomande is ready, Arda Güler will keep starting, and if Güler starts, the idea is, or the theory is, that Trent Alexander-Arnold will stay on the bench. In these two games, Güler has started as a pseudo right winger for Real Madrid, and Denzel Dumfries has started at right-back.
Presumably, this is for Dumfries to add the extra width and defensive stability, which Güler won't be able to provide as well as Diomande does.
You never know. Trent can still start for Real Madrid. That is what I have predicted in my predicted lineups anyway, but from the way these last two games for Real Madrid have gone, it does not seem like that much will change. Hopefully for Trent it does, but we will have to wait and see.
As for Diomande, it will be good to see him get more and more minutes on the right wing instead of him playing on the left, because even though he looked good on the other side, the Ivory Coast international has been brought in to find value to the right side that has been missing for a very long time.
If Real Madrid already have great left wingers, they don't really need another one who can't play as well on the right.
But if Diomande is able to hold his own on the right, which should happen considering he is a natural right winger, then everything should be fine for him, the team, as well as for Trent, potentially. Until then, everyone will have to wait and see how it goes.
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