Real Madrid did not technically lose this game, but their 1-1 draw with Girona in La Liga on Friday night felt just like a defeat to the Santiago Bernabeu faithful who were subjected to another disastrous outing from the Royal Whites.
There were so many poor performances to choose from in this result, and while Kyilan Mbappe may have been the most disappointing individual effort, the downward slide of his compatriot Eduardo Camavinga has been just as concerning to watch.
Although Camavinga is still 23 years of age, the young Frenchman has been at Real Madrid for five seasons now, and he has shown no growth in his understanding of the game. Camavinga was playing as the No. 6, and yet even against a team as small as Girona, he could not help Real control the game and was very suspect at shielding the back line defensively.
Eduardo Camavinga is no 6
No play exemplified Cama's issues more than, for the second time in a row, his poor positioning costing Real Madrid a goal. Yes, former Atletico Madrid rival Thomas Lemar scored an absolute banger from range, but, at the same time, you would have expected the French star to have stepped up and made the block more competently and aggressively instead of timidly moving forward so that Lemar could easily smack it through his legs.
Camavinga was poor all night long, and yet Real Madrid manager Alvaro Arbeloa inexplicably went out and said at the post game press conference that he thinks the player is doing a great job a a No. 6. Arbeloa said of Camavinga, via Madrid Xtra, “Camavinga? He feels very comfortable as ‘6’. That’s his position. He is a player with a lot of mobility. I needed to see him there.”
Very comfortable? Seriously? That has to be a joke. It is almost delusional for Arbeloa - and we all know he likes to be a shining ray of positivity and protect his players from all angles - to insult the Real Madrid fan base and pretend as if Camavinga knows what he is doing as a 6.
Sure, Eduardo Camavinga has mobility, but that is a heck of a way to say that he runs around without a clue. As a No. 6, you do need to go out there and make plays to break possession up and win the ball, but you also need to know when to block the shot, when to track the runner, and when to do the little things. You know, the things that made Casemiro so great and have made Camavinga look like a trout in the ocean or a shark in a swimming pool with Ray Hudson as the lifeguard.