Real Madrid hero Joselu gives view on struggles and dressing room

Former Actual Madrid ahead Joselu Mato is the most recent to attempt to diagnose their points, as Xabi Alonso searches for the magic system. The veteran ahead was a part of Los Blancos’ final profitable aspect beneath Carlo Ancelotti in two seasons in the past.

Regardless of having a proposal to proceed at Actual Madrid, and several other extra from different European sides, Joselu determined to money in and transfer to Al-Gharafa in Qatar, admitting the supply was too good to show down. Having performed a key function of their Liga and Champions League run, he left on a excessive.

Chatting with Diario AS, Joselu highlighted the function that Ancelotti performed of their success.

“Essential. What stood out within the dressing room was his seriousness, a dedication from the gamers to him. He knew we wouldn’t let him down. His expertise was crucial. He was very open to speaking. He understood that at Actual Madrid, any form of ego isn’t extra vital than your entire squad collectively. That’s what made us champions. He was like a father to the squad, to the membership, to the followers.”

What’s it prefer to stroll right into a Actual Madrid dressing room?

A lot has been made from mystique of the Actual Madrid dressing room, with Alonso a minimum of initially struggling to mesh with a few of his stars by all accounts. Joselu defined what it was prefer to arrive into it.

“Once I first walked in it was a bit like… wow! There have been Kroos, Modric, veteran gamers who had been at Actual Madrid for 10 or 12 years, Bellingham, who had simply arrived, Vini, Fede, Carvajal, Lucas, Nacho, with whom I had performed earlier than. I had two completely different emotions: one was, holy s***, I’m within the Actual Madrid first workforce; and the opposite was, I’ve already been on this dressing room with Carva, Lucas, I’d skilled with Kroos, with Modric, within the first workforce, I knew the package males, the physios…”

By way of their present points, Joselu was initially eager to level out that the bar had been set very excessive.

“They miss a quantity 9, proper? (laughs). The issue is that individuals are evaluating years whenever you win titles with years whenever you don’t. We misplaced two video games all 12 months: one in La Liga and one within the Copa del Rey. We drew six extra and received all the remaining. That’s very troublesome to repeat, regardless of the workforce: the most effective Barca, the most effective Metropolis, the most effective Madrid…”

“Having a 12 months just like the one the place you win titles is sophisticated. Their stress is to maintain successful. They’ve introduced in Mbappe, the most effective striker on this planet when it comes to objectives, Vinicius is a world icon, Rodrygo is getting again to his greatest, Bellingham, Fede… You see the names on the desk and also you say, it’s unimaginable for anybody to beat them.”

What are Actual Madrid lacking?

Pressed a bit extra, Joselu, who admitted that he continues to look at all of Actual Madrid’s video games, felt they maybe lacked a bit grit.

“Maybe there’s a scarcity of that aggressive edge, that feeling. The 12 months we have been there, about 80% of the gamers really felt what it means to put on the Actual Madrid shirt, and it harm them; to this present day, I don’t know if that feeling has been misplaced or not. While you play with the real feeling of being a real Actual Madrid fan, you get one thing further.”

“While you’re lacking one thing, you must have that feeling. I had it, and I noticed that Nacho would kill for the membership, that Carvajal would kill for the membership even with half a knee harm, Lucas Vazquez the identical, Fede the identical, Vini provides his all and is a die-hard Actual Madrid fan…”

Carvajal, now the captain, is because of return in 2026 for his or her first recreation in opposition to Actual Betis. Different veteran figures comparable to David Alaba and Antonio Rudiger have been out and in with harm, whereas Valverde has struggled to say himself as within the midfield. The 2 gamers which have stepped up most have been Kylian Mbappe and Thibaut Courtois.