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The Daily Merengue is a place where you can feel free to discuss all things football. Do not be alarmed by the overt RMCF bias. It’s in the name!
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What a game from Rodrygo!
Today’s MOTM: Rodrygo. pic.twitter.com/GlV9gLzwRa
— Madrid Xtra (@MadridXtra) October 5, 2022
Rodrygo in a different position?
The Immediate Reaction article described Rodrygo’s position very well:
Rodrygo, who on paper was playing as a right-winger, was far from that. He played as a 10, and played his role perfectly. He drifted to both flanks and roamed all over the field, connecting freely with everyone. He provided vertical outlets for both Toni Kroos and Aurelien Tchouameni, and played tight-knit football with the rest of the attack. With Rodrygo playing a fluid role, Fede Valverde and Dani Carvajal took the right wing.
See below the heat maps based on touch location:
If you were interested in looking at some heat maps based on touch location. Rodrygo extremely narrow; Fede generally wider, but not nearly as wide as Vini. Captures the dynamic quite well I think. pic.twitter.com/ekyShI3yjh
— Om Arvind (@OmVAsports) October 5, 2022
The above thread by Om Arvind is pretty good. Some of his comments, highlighting the dynamic between Fede and Rodrygo:
Generally felt like Carlo was too static last ssn in terms of how he viewed his players, which was a surprise, since sussing out profiles has been his strength. Looks like after a yr of info & expanding on ZZ’s Fede-RW experiment, he’s much more confident manipulating his tools.
What we’re seeing now is definitely one of the best things Carlo has tried in a long time. Fede pseudo RCM-RW with Rodrygo being an inside forward/2nd striker is pretty much the same thing as Di María pseudo LCM-LW with Ronaldo being an inside forward/2nd striker except on the other flank, so it all makes sense really
As good it was, Carlo explained the reasoning behind the change. His answer, however, suggested that it was something for this game, rather than something new that we might often in upcoming games:
His position changed a little, but only to pressure in their two CBs, who usually manage the ball well. Because of this, today we defended differently from previous games. Rodrygo played more inside with Karim; you can think as it’s 4-4-2. I think it can be done in some games. With the ball, Rodrygo has extraordinary quality, and he can play everywhere. His position wasn’t an offensive change; it was a change to try to defend with more pressure.
A good game from Militão
Éder Militão vs. Shakhtar Donetsk
— احمد (@POL3MIQUE) October 5, 2022
(@edermilitao) pic.twitter.com/ElRrp5Y6mm
The funny moments
This game (and afterwards) had two interesting moments, not usually seen:
Hazard saw Rudiger sitting in his usual seat and tried to get it back by playing Rock Paper Scissor. @alexpercz pic.twitter.com/VFaGX4L2Rx
— Madrid Xtra (@MadridXtra) October 5, 2022
Rüdiger after the game. pic.twitter.com/d8T2e2RefI
— Madrid Xtra (@MadridXtra) October 5, 2022
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