Wednesday Edition of the Daily Merengue

The Daily Merengue is a place where you can feel free to discuss all things football. Do not be alarmed by the overt RMCF bias. It’s in the name!

Shoutout to the mods who do a fantastic job, Valyrian Steel, Felipejack, Juninho, NeRObutBlanco and yours truly, Kung_Fu_Zizou

The Team to Beat

Real Madrid with all the complexities that arise continue to navigate challenges successfully. 34 games unbeaten in La Liga is quite an achievement and shows just how far ahead of the league they are.

Brahim Is Key

When all is said and done. We remember Jude Bellingham for carrying the team. We remember Vinicius in the Champions League and Joselu’s unforgettable impact against Bayern. We shelve the likes of Brahim because we feel like we would have been fine anyway. The reality is our squad composition makes the difference. We know who the Ballon d’Or contenders are but we shouldn’t forget our friends who were there when we needed them.

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Arda’s Beginnings

The most recent example of a youngster who didn’t make it at Real Madrid is Reinier Jesus. The young Brazilian was sent out on loan and perhaps wasn’t as talented as initially thought.

Every other youngster has gone on to do well after staying with the first team. There is reason for optimism regarding Arda Guler’s development given the success stories he’s surrounded by.

Many people are quick to forget that Isco is actually a success story. It was all in his hands until the time he left. He’s admitted as much himself.

Real Madrid is not an easy place but it rewards commitment and determination. If not immediately then in the long run.

If you have a youngster as talented as Arda Guler you hype him to high heaven. We have zero cause for pessimism when there’s a 19 year old baller in the Real Madrid first team.

The Case for Dani Ceballos

Dani is not a starter and there’s hardly a thought that he ought to be. However, he plays the game in a way that would iron out some wrinkles in our possession game. While he’s not consistent, there’s enough about him to give us a good balance while Jude Bellingham is out injured.

Tchouaméni would benefit greatly from not having the burden of being the master baller from deep.

Tchouaméni at CB for Build-up?

Aurelien is not a fan of the CB role. There’s a stigma attached to the role. It usually means you’re technically inept for midfield roles or higher up the pitch. However in the modern game, a CB isn’t just a monster to scare away opposition forwards but a key part of the possession game.

We were thoroughly spoiled with players like Ramos who were so comfortable on the ball they looked like midfielders.

Tchouaméni at CB will have more time on the ball to pick his passes and see the whole game in front of him for 90 minutes.

Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images

Lets remember to treat our friends as friends and enemies as enemies!