The progression of Eduardo Camavinga in Real Madrid is drawn by the line that goes from the return of the semifinal of the Champions League against Manchester City last year at the Bernabéu to the first leg of this course in the same scenario. In 2022 the Frenchman entered the field in a desperate situation: it was already the 75th minute and his team needed two goals to force extra time. Last week he arrived at the decisive stretch of the season as an essential piece, either in midfield or as a winger. Last year he threw Benzema the deep pass that the nine turned into the assist to Rodrygo with which he began the last incredible comeback. This time, with Madrid jammed, he escaped down the sidelines with a wall with Modric and assisted Vinicius for the 1-0. That night he was the Real player to whom Opta counted more interventions (78).
His weight has grown so much, from revulsive to pillar, that the stomp of Juan Iglesias that twisted his left knee on Saturday against Getafe opened a delicate period of uncertainty for the return of this Wednesday at the Etihad (21.00, Movistar). When the game was over, he was limping his left leg wrapped in ice. In a similar way to what happened with Fede Valverde last year, Camavinga has become the player that Ancelotti always finds a place for. The Frenchman has reached this condition by a rare way: the reinvention of a position.
The simplest summary of what his particularity consists of was made by the Italian coach before the first leg: "Camavinga plays on the side without the ball. With the ball, his position changes. Sometimes it's put as interior, sometimes it's put next to it between the lines. He is not a full-back who pushes on the outside, because on the outside we already have one who is quite dangerous, which is Vinicius".
The formidable threat posed by the Brazilian has long conditioned how the Madrid players who operate on that left wing move. As a coach who has worked as an analyst in several Primera teams points out, this influence could already be detected when Mendy played: "He threw the diagonal inside to clean Vini's passing line and create problems for the defender. With Mendy there, the aid is more problematic" to try to stop the Brazilian.
Mendy used to be on the inside, away from the band, somewhere ahead of Toni Kroos. That's where Camavinga also appears when Madrid attacks in static. And that's where he makes the difference with respect to the holder of the position, according to Marcelino García Toral, former coach of Athletic, Valencia and Villarreal: "In terms of creation and depth, for possibilities of play in that intermediate zone, Camavinga is the most gifted, the most offensive, "he explains. In that he agrees with Ancelotti: "The position of Camavinga can help us in the break when Vinicius has the ball, because he has quality to play between the lines."
The Frenchman came to left-back as an emergency injury patch and has taken over the job through a mix of reliability in defence and brilliance in attack: "The adaptation of this boy to that position is commendable," says Marcelino. "He has shown great football ability with a very high performance as a winger. He has responded perfectly."
In addition, when the team attacks it significantly enriches the left flank, the most unbalancing of Madrid. It contributes to the speed of circulation with Vinicius and Benzema, and allows Kroos the prospect of remaining somewhat further behind. "From there he is able to create much more play, to see football in the face," Marcelino abounds. Ancelotti has found with Camavinga the way to add a harmful player to the advanced zone without giving up anything of the defensive framework. "He has more quality than Mendy, and the physique allows him to defend by individual ability," explains the analyst. "Then, the two have a very good comeback from those forward positions, because they are very fast."
Camavinga has broken into a position that in Madrid treasures a particular tradition of attacking profiles, such as Roberto Carlos and Marcelo. Although stepping more inside, and without feeling in his ecosystem: "I don't like to play on the wing," he said a month ago at Stamford Bridge after eliminating Chelsea in the quarterfinals. Wherever he is, Modric considers it fundamental: "Although he may not like to play there, wherever you put him he will do well. It's very important for us: his football, his personality on the pitch. He's a top guy."
Ancelotti also doesn't think the band is his best location, but Camavinga is now the best in that area. In the eyes of the Italian, the experiment has other advantages: "He is taking advantage of the time he plays as a winger to improve his limits, which are, above all, linked to the age he has. He has to mature his experience, his knowledge of the tactical aspect, because, as I said in another press conference, technically he has nothing to learn."
Marcelino also sees it as an opportunity: "With that versatility and that very high performance, we are facing an extraordinary footballer project".
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