Former Real Madrid striker highlights the main problem in Real Madrid midfield

Real Madrid put up a rather damp performance in their second match of the UEFA Champions League last night, as they fell to a 1-0 defeat to the French side, LOSC Lille.

The Merengues could not muster many chances in the game and were far from efficient in their passes in the opposition half. The hosts were not at their best either, but a penalty at the end of the first-half allowed them to take the full three points from this game.

Beginning with Carlo Ancelotti himself, several commentators have talked about what went wrong for Los Blancos last night. As MARCA has reported, one such commentator was the former Real Madrid Predrag Mijatovic, who believed the Merengues’ midfield lacked balance.

When asked if he was satisfied with the midfield of Camavinga, Tchouameni, and Valverde, the Real Madrid legend commented:

“Honestly, I’m not convinced by this midfield. I think the problem against Lille was the midfield. It’s a midfield that’s too physical and lacks creativity.”

“I really missed Luka Modric, and Toni Kroos isn’t here. I think Tchouaméni, Camavinga, and Valverde is too much muscle and too much toughness on the ball. I believe this is not a suitable midfield for Real Madrid’s style of play.”

The Brazilian starlet Endrick got his first start with Real Madrid last night, but could not make a good impression with this opportunity. Mijatovic believed the youngster was not yet ready to start games for the Merengues:

“I think Endrick is not yet ready to start. This year, I believe he should come off the bench to take advantage when the opposing team lowers its level, to score some goals.”

These words from Mijatovic surely make sense as there was a clear lack of creativity in the Real Madrid midfielder without players like Kroos and Modric. Arda Guler and Modric were brought on later in the game, and they did contribute to generating more chances for the Merengues, but it was already too late and Lille successfully held on to their lead to win the game.