When Real Madrid lost out on Rodri this Thursday — ‘snubbed’ by the Spanish midfielder who chose Barcelona instead — it was seen as a big blow. Rodri, by many, was considered the final piece: Someone with experience who can organize the midfield, bring leadership, ball progression, and lead the team out of high pressure situations.
But while there was panic among fans, the club remains calm. Their motto has always been: If you want to play here, great — if not, we have no interest in pursuing you. And if you call us to tell us you’re joining Barcelona, well, good luck, we’re out.
Of course, Real Madrid are not completely clear of blame, and part of the reason Rodri slipped away was because the club showed some hesitation after initially having a verbal agreement in place with Rodri. They then stepped away, focused on Yan Diomande, and ran out of time.
There has, and will be, other narratives that come out of this that club will want to push out, namely that it was Rodri and Manchester City’s fault. This author will also let you know, after several conversations with sources, that Real Madrid weren’t fully committed to Rodri either, and there were several good reasons behind it, which are all fair: Rodri had an ACL injury two seasons ago, and last season, he missed nearly 30 games due to a combination of hamstring, groin, and knee injuries. Then there was the back surgery, which some brush off as ‘minor’; but Managing Madrid’s resident radiologist, Vik Sobti, who specializes in back and spine injuries, indicated real concern with Rodri’s back and athletes who have back injuries and surgeries in general. Those issues are often chronic and extremely difficult to recover. Some never do.
Time will tell. Rodri may very well stay healthy for the next three-to-five years. If he does, Barcelona — or anyone else who would’ve had him — would’ve received an upgrade in midfield. If Rodri’s health deteriorates (and to be clear, no one wants that to happen), then Real Madrid dodged a bullet.
But what’s done is done. Rodri is (probably) going to Barcelona, and good riddance. Things move on fast at this club. The question is… Now what?
According to COPE’s Arancha Rodriguez, the club is done with signings. If true, that in itself is interesting to unpack for two reasons:
- By all accounts Jose Mourinho wanted a Rodri profile in the team. With Rodri off the table, is it not pertinent to shift eyes to other targets?
- If not, then it’s very clear: There aren’t names appealing enough that would justify benching names like Arda Güler and Bernardo Silva — and if the solution to losing Rodri, as reported, is ‘from within’, then the bet is almost certainly on those two.
That will be disappointing for fans to hear, but it is somewhat reasonable: Real Madrid currently have two slots open in that double pivot and these players are fighting for them: Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga, Fede Valverde, Bernardo Silva, Arda Güler. (Güler is included in this list of deeper midfielders, as my hunch — and who knows, I could be wrong — will be that Mourinho builds his systems around Jude Bellingham as the 10.
This conversation would be a lot easier if Real Madrid were able to move Camavinga out of the squad, or had they simply not signed Bernardo earlier this summer.
I feel similar this summer to the way I felt last summer about this position: I think it’s important Real Madrid have someone come in as an elite deep-lying playmaker, but also weary of signing someone not good enough to justify stalling Güler’s progress. This is somewhat contradictory, because I have said continually in the past two years that this team needs more leaders and established players, and less developments and projects.
But this may come down to the simple fact that I value Güler much higher than some others do. In that linked article, I also outlined how certain tropes about him can be debunked, namely, silly claims that he doesn’t show up in big games, or that his defense is a problem. He was one of Real Madrid’s only bright spots last season and continues to improve. The analytics with him are very impressive.
There is also some recency bias surrounding Bernardo, who, unfortunately didn’t play much in the World Cup — but a lot of that has to do with the fact that Portugal already have Joao Neves, Vitinha, and Bruno Fernandes (and also, Roberto Martinez churned in one of the worst managerial performances in recent World Cup memory). The Rodri snub has also made the Bernardo signing look worse in many people’s eyes, because he has unfairly been attribute with the moniker ‘the wrong midfielder from City’.
Silva is still very good, if you look past the World Cup disaster. His attacking output decreased in his last season at City as he played deeper than normal, but his passing and defense remains very much intact. I would not be surprised if we reflect on his signing at the end of the season as a success. Do not put it past him to exceed expectations and help bring important leadership and minutes throughout all major campaigns.
A trio of Tchouameni – Valverde – Camavinga does not bring much inspiration in terms of control and creativity. For that reason, I would start either Güler or Bernardo in midfield.
Continue having faith in Jose Mourinho. He has an impeccable transfer record.
