It is the beginning of the second season without him, but I cannot forget Joselu’s immaculate Champions League campaign in his loan season for Real Madrid. The goals and the brilliance, it is all too much to not talk or think about.
And the current absence of a natural striker of his profile gives all the more reason to think about his exemplary, albeit short time with Los Blancos.
With Xabi Alonso, though, things are slowly changing. He’s more trustful of young players and knows the potential of Real Madrid academy. In the game against Al Hilal, he started breakthrough Castilla striker Gonzalo García.
In a recent interview, Joselu was all praise for the youngster. He said:
“He's had a spectacular campaign with Castilla. He's a kid with a lot of goals. What I like most about him is his Madridismo. You can see that on the pitch. He never gives up on a ball; he presses, and despite his height, he wins many duels in the air. He never gives up on a ball. We saw it in the first pressure of the match, when he almost slipped past the goalkeeper. He's a profile that I think Madrid will use a lot and will bring points. I think he'll score a lot of goals.”
And the youngster scored in the opportunity he was given. It was a massive rise in his stature and will certainly bolster his position in Xabi’s ideal team.
Real Madrid miss Joselu, could Garcia be the answer?
It has been heavily reported, and I think it is also very visible, that Real Madrid really miss a lethal striker in their forward line. Kylian Mbappe may have won the Golden Boot, but he was not available to convert goals when it mattered the most. He was outdone and subdued.
Joselu did the job until two seasons ago, but he’s not here anymore, and the effects are very visible, even so visible that opponents readily exploit it now.
Los Blancos must find an answer to this as soon as possible. But it could be that the answer is within their armoury.
If you have followed Castilla, you’d know that Gonzalo García is a phenomenon. He’s very good in duels and can really extract the ball from situations others cannot. As Joselu pointed out, despite his height, García wins insurmountable duels, and his goal was an example of that.
But again, we need not get ahead of ourselves with this one. García still has a lot to prove with the first team, even though he is on the right path to do it. His minutes with a fully fit Mbappé are doubtful, but the entire season lies ahead. I can only predict interesting times right now.