Castilla beckons for David Jiménez as Real Madrid smooth over Carvajal situation
Arbeloa sends promising youngster back to Castilla, paving way for Carvajal's return to first-team action after weeks on the sidelines.
Real Madrid’s right-back saga takes another twist as David Jiménez returns to Castilla, clearing the path for Dani Carvajal’s reintegration into the first team.
Peace talks bearing fruit
After what seemed like a bit of a barney between Álvaro Arbeloa and club captain Dani Carvajal, it appears the two Madrid men have buried the hatchet. The gaffer and his former teammate had a proper chinwag on Tuesday that seems to have sorted things out nicely.
Carvajal, who’s been warming the bench for an absolute age (ten matches, to be precise), is now poised to make his return against Real Sociedad this weekend. The Spain international has barely had a sniff since Arbeloa took the reins, only featuring against Albacete and Monaco.
The writing was on the wall at Mestalla where Carvajal didn’t even get to stretch his legs for a warm-up, while young David Jiménez got the nod in the starting XI. You could see Carva was proper gutted about it too.
Arbeloa’s olive branch
After that Valencia match, Arbeloa seemed to offer a bit of an olive branch, noting:
“I’m seeing Dani improve in training sessions…”
The manager went on to praise Carvajal’s leadership in the dressing room and assured everyone that the captain would soon regain his importance in the squad.
This latest decision to send David Jiménez back to Castilla for their match against Bilbao Athletic tomorrow speaks volumes. It suggests Arbeloa now believes both of his specialist right-backs—Carvajal and Trent Alexander-Arnold—are fit and ready for action.
Battle of the right flank
What we’re looking at now is a straight shootout between Carvajal and Trent for the starting berth. The first round of this contest will take place this Saturday against Real Sociedad, though both players will surely have one eye on the more significant clash against Benfica next Tuesday in the knockout stages of European competition.
Interestingly, this isn’t the only tactical shift we’re seeing. Arbeloa appears committed to keeping Fede Valverde in central midfield rather than deploying him as a makeshift right-back—a position he’s filled during injury crises in the past.
For Carvajal, who’s been at the club since he was a nipper, this represents a chance to reassert his authority after what’s been a right old nightmare few weeks on the sidelines.