Open Thread : 22 July 2022

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!

Shoutout to the mods who do a fantastic job, Valyrian Steel, Felipejack, Juninho, NeRObutBlanco and YoSnail

Next stop el clasico

The Real Madrid camp looks to be in good spirits. I cannot stress enough the importance of the player’s attitudes towards their pre-season fitness. The opposite of the Hazard approach. The players were training while they were on holiday. Nobody was stuffing their faces and trying to get to the first day of training needing to go to fat camp. Hopefully we’ll see far less injuries throughout the season.

More Castilla departures

Better late than never. Castilla seems to hold on to these players longer than they should. Perhaps they ought to reduce the average age of the Castilla squad and have a time limit for development. 18 months should be enough time for anyone to realise if a player should go on loan or get a chance in the first team.

The Falcon turns 24

Fede turning 24 puts him in treacherous waters given the competition building around him. I am a big fan of the Uruguay international but he’s going to have to dislodge the geriatrics or risk being passed over as a starter. We’ve seen this happen with Asensio and others before him. With Real Madrid sending secret admirer chocolates and flowers to Jude Bellingham, you have to worry about Fede’s future if he doesn’t stamp his authority this season.

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