After garnering worldwide prominence, Real Madrid youngster Eduardo Camavinga came in Spain in 2021 and signed a six-year contract with the club. Back then, the player was the hottest thing in international football, with clubs like Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain pursuing him relentlessly.
The youngster scored a beautiful goal within minutes off the bench on his debut for Los Blancos, living up to the high standards placed on him. He was clinical, swift, and ever-present. There was scarcely a blade of grass on the field that was unaffected by his touch.
Camavinga was one of the most consistent players on the journey to the 2022 Champions League final, contributing in some capacity or the other to Real Madrid's famed run of comebacks in every knockout stage. Simply told, he was magical. At the time, the Frenchman's future appeared to be quite bright, and he was expected to make it big in Madrid.
Fast forward a few years, and he has become one of the most disliked players among fans. His performances are unforeseeable, which means he can be excellent in one game but completely terrible in the next several. He now looks to be out of his element in terms of talents and becomes an utter liability that others must cover for.
There is more to discuss than what Camavinga demonstrated in the first leg of the round of 16 match against Atletico Madrid. To say he was the hosts' biggest disappointment of the game would be an understatement. He was far worse, on the edge of losing Madrid the game on not one but nearly three occasions, and that figure comes after ignoring a lot more.
There needs to be a conversation about Eduardo Camavinga
The game versus Atletico Madrid might serve as a solid assessment of Camavinga's season thus far. As per Fotmob, In the roughly 60 minutes he played, he made no significant, if any, contributions. He had no shots on goal, zero chances created, and was dispossessed twice. He was also dribbled past once. He lost four of the seven duels he attempted and had no successful dribbles. These figures are sufficient to demonstrate the disaster he is in and is creating.
In a nutshell, the 22-year-old Frenchman's season has been abysmal. He is incorrect and contradictory. He's also dangerous. But what is the problem exactly? What has caused his transformation from a youthful sensation to a liability in the midst of a critical season?
Camavinga has been playing at an unnatural position
It is well acknowledged and accepted that Camavinga is being trusted in a role in which he is not at all comfortable. He is too unstable to play as a number 6. A number 6 is a dependent midfielder who often protects the back for two number 8s. His responsibilities include guarding the ball before the first four, facilitating a supply of the game forward, and feeding the center midfielders of transitional movements.
Meanwhile, Camavinga is much too erroneous to fill that function. His abilities as a center defensive midfielder, working alongside Aurelien Tchouameni, are too reckless and unclean.
Camavinga is not the most clinical or clean defender of opponent transitions, and he frequently concedes fouls and cards while doing thus. His tackles are sloppy, and he seldom appears to be at ease in this position.
The sooner, the better; it must be recognized that he would be better off as an 8 than a 6. His creative talents are too brilliant to be limited in a job where they are rarely used. His risk-taking traits should not be challenged as a center defense, but rather capitalized on as a forward-charging midfielder.
He is an excellent ball player who appreciates the importance of exploiting spaces and generating openings from the front. However, expecting the opposite from the retreating point of a middle three is futile, and we have all seen several examples of this to the point that they cannot be overlooked anymore.
He is careless and a high-risk midfielder
It may not have gone undetected in the majority of games, but Camavinga is at comfortable being a nuisance. He will reduce and boost your heart rate in a matter of seconds. He will make you curse him out for his risky behavior and shout praises for his activities in front. He is, as previously said, unpredictable and doubtful. That is not meant to be a negative statement, but rather an indication of his young vigor and capacity at trying new things.
It is up to the team to determine how to profit on this. However, this does not absolve him of the erroneous judgments he has made in earlier games. As he progresses to a more regular position at the club, with a role that requires his skills on a weekly basis, he must learn to remain serene and collected. And, I believe, it is best that he learns this the hard way.
Overall, Camavinga needs to improve his gameplay. To continue obtaining consistent minutes, he must identify the gaps he generates and experiment with different approaches to improve.
This is not the end
Let's return. The man is only 22 years old and carries the weight of playing for the world's finest club and being heavily relied on. Yes, he has almost lost the club vital wins on few occasions, but there is still plenty of space for improvement.
With more attention to his game and the right interactions with management, he may reclaim control of the game in an instant. It is critical to understand that his grasping ability is enormous. He can rise up and regain the love of Real Madrid supporters faster than he has fall into a downward spiral of mistakes.
There is yet time. Give him some. The world has not ended yet.