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The priceless Brahim Diaz minutes

To fill in for Jude Bellingham, who is perhaps the finest player in the world right now, and maintain the team’s dominance, you have to be quite good. Granted, Diaz has played in some minutes without facing great opposition, but his performance against every formidable opponent he has faced can hardly be questioned.

Champions League knockout evenings coincide with the highest stakes club matchups. RB Leipzig was probably not anticipated to cause Real Madrid as much problems as they did in the first leg of the round-of-16, but when things got tough away from home, Diaz delivered a game-winning goal that went beyond the immediate situation.

The choice to bring back Diaz last summer is now settled (albeit there was some discussion at the time). He has devoured Marco Asensio’s playing time and wreaked havoc on defenses. He excels as a defensive workhorse both in front of and behind the ball. His dribble and link-up have been brilliant. Everyone was taken aback by his score.

Diaz has a career-high average right now.Cooking results in 44 goals per 90 domestic goals.88 goal-creating actions for every 90, which is the fourth-best league average. He is a valuable weapon in Ancelotti’s strategy because of his ability to roam, his comprehension of the 10 role, and his consistent passing.

Brahim might occasionally misplace a pass or lose possession, but you can always count on him to exert maximum effort to make up for his errors.

Throughout the season, Brahim had a few instances like that against Leipzig as well, but he made up for it by regaining control. He occasionally coughs up the ball due to his frenzied enthusiasm. When off𝔢nsiv𝔢 productivity and defensive hunting so greatly outweigh one another, those trade-offs are acceptable.

Brahim is a proactive dribbler who is great to have against low blocks, but his versatility allows him to play many positions in different systems, whether you’re trying to hold onto a lead or chase one down.

Even though he can dribble, he doesn’t take more touches than necessary, which is a helpful quality while attacking in transition and forcing a quick choice:

This season, Brahim’s minutes have been a major source of output. One of the best financial decisions Real Madrid has made in recent years is the Spaniard’s comeback.

Unstoppable in advanced positions is Eduardo Camavinga

Eduardo Camavinga is unstoppable whenever he enters these off𝔢nsiv𝔢 zones:

Although it hasn’t happened too frequently, Camavinga can do unending harm when he enters that zone, which is right over the opposition’s box.

Camavinga rarely plays attacking positions because he needs to be deployed in so many em𝔢rgency situations (left-back, single pivot, etc.). Not to mention that Toni Kroos is still playing at a very high level, Camavinga is unlikely to be a regular left-CM till the German player retires.

Even yet, it’s amazing to watch the amount of carnage Camavinga can inflict once he gets up the field. A burst of off𝔢nsiv𝔢 mobility is unlocked by his movement between the lines. He drags defenders around in that fictitious, situational 10 role even if he doesn’t understand it. He cannot be deprived of it once he obtains it, and his distribution is trustworthy. He’s in a good position to counterpress if the team loses possession. It’s all explained in the video up top.

It’ll be interesting to observe how Carlo Ancelotti uses Camavinga’s minutes in next important Champions League games as players are progressively getting back to full health. I say this with some anxiety. Camavinga started both of this season’s Clasicos as a substitute. To be honest, it’s nearly impossible to remove Kroos. Likewise, Ferland Mendy has been excellent on defense and appears to have gained confidence since returning from injury. With Antonio Rudiger returning, Aurelien Tchouameni is starting to take over at the base of the midfield.

However, considering how much Camavinga contributes on both ends, it’s difficult to argu𝔢 against starting him outside of the starting lineup. When he plays left-back, he opens up a lot of space for Vinicius on the left, which is impressive. His record in major games, even at age 21, is more remarkable than what most players produce in their whole careers. You want him on the field when the chips are down and the season is at stake. Anywhere is acceptable.

To be honest, a portion of this is just overanalyzing. Perhaps Real Madrid is in dir𝔢 need of options and insurance right now. The club will need to go deep into their rotation if they hope to compete well in Europe. It’s a terrific issue to have if Camavinga enters the game off the bench and turns it around because Mendy and Kroos are too skilled and reliable to be benched in a crucial match. If not now, then his time will come, even if it has to wait till after Kroos departs, which is a terrible moment.

Going back to the beginning, Camavinga is still best suited as a left-central midfielder. He can be an outlet most effectively in that position since, according to Fbref, he gets ten times as many progressive passes in midfield than he does at left-back, where he only ranks in the 16th percentile. There, he can also cover naturally for left-backs who bombard the ball — perhaps in the style of Alphonso Davies.