A Word From the Author

“So much to say…and yet such little time”

One last dance. One last season. A few more smoke breaks.

Welcome to The Daily Merengue — 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, KungFuZizou, NeRObutBlanco, Felipejack, and Juninho (the “King of Mods”).

An Author’s Clarification — Eder Militao

I Shouldn’t Need To Do This. But I Will.

“Militao Hate.” Yesterday in the DT, your author proposed a simple hot take that by summer 2025 we may view Militao as not the future stalwart and leader of our defense. As this author stated in the final sentences of his soliloquy “[Militao’s] of course physically gifted and can have purple patches of class performances but I just don’t yet see the poise of the most elite CBs. He’s 26 so he isn’t particularly a young-in but I guess there’s still time.” And this was met with an unfortunately familiar MM raucous that framed a simple statement as “hate” or unduly unfair criticism or another unjust critique of RM players who deserve our support.

So let me clarify: Eder Militao is a very good CB. We (including me) agree that he for a brief moment was a Top 5 CB in the world, if not the best. We see that potential ceiling. But we (or let me rephrase since we may not all agree)…I often see shades of unfocused defending which imo didn’t as frequently permeate through many of our past defensive leaders. And I must emphasize the term: leader. Because my statement was about elite leadership not very good players. This unfocused (and maybe nonchalant) tactical awareness often has exhibited itself in inconsistent performances where Militao is positionally displaced, missing tackles, dribbling into pressure, or defending virtually air. I can’t seem to find the quote from Carlo (or maybe it was Kiyan?) but in 2022, it was mentioned that Alaba primarily started in our CB line because he organized the defense. Alaba ensured Militao played at his peak. So Rudiger (who I have clamored from the beginning was the best CB at Real Madrid) was then relegated to the bench.

Now again: Eder Militao is a very good CB. However, Eder Militao is 26 and in 4 months will be 27, and yet we as a community somehow discuss him as if he’s a youth product rather than a player entering his prime. By 26/27 our past CBs (ie Sergio Ramos, Raphael Varane, and Pepe) did not only share RM team success but were selected as starting CBs for UEFA and NT Tournament Starting XI. These were the CB leaders for World Cup and Euro-winning teams. These were players that even at Madrid were recognized as the best players of their position in not only La Liga but the CL / UEFA. These players just felt like they were a different breed as they commanded their Madrid and NT backlines. Again, Eder may reach this feat but I just don’t yet see it.

Now lets get to the hate. If this is hate, then so be it. I’m not saying he should be sold. I’m not advocating for Jacobo Ramon or any young CB who has started less than 20 Top 5 League matches to take his job. It’s just a take. It’s really not any emotionally deeper than that.

So last few lines are just going to say this. This place needs to be safe enough to discuss unconventional (and even unpopular) opinions without attaching one’s emotions to the subject matter. Yes, we’re all fans but Real Madrid isn’t perfect. The player’s aren’t always the best. Our board / coaches / players methods aren’t always completely optimal or truly for the club’s gain. And that’s fine. They’re humans. They bleed just like you and me. And we’re all imperfect creatures.

And idk…sometimes when you love something, you find yourself harder on it because love often sees that it can be greater than what it currently is.

It’s whatever. This isn’t that deep anyway.

A Few Championship Pics

Just a few more new pics as from the UEFA SuperCup winners.

Missing: Toni Kroos

Control. A prominent theme of this year is going to be how does Real Madrid replace Toni Kroos. How does Carlo find a way for this team to win without the Kroos Control? I think a lot of us have various opinions (*cough* Camavinga-Tchou double pivot *cough*) but it will be interesting to see how the rest of the season develops. One thing I am kind of excited to see now that Kroos is gone…a new FK taker lol. I love Kroos but I just didn’t feel like this was his best attribute.

And They’re Not Leaving!

More reports stating that Rodrygo + Ceballos are here to stay.

Advice for the Lil Homie(s)

“i wish i could leave my problems inside the heart of the ocean. but i’m afraid i might find ‘em floatin’ on a yacht party in miami”

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どれも無駄だ。