Real Madrid advanced to the last eight of the Champions League with a one-goal win at home to Liverpool, and the 20-year-old young midfielder Camavinga played at the back and was involved in the only goal of his side.
The winter window was once linked with Arsenal and Manchester United, but it is clear that Carlo Ancelotti has great trust in him. Even within Real Madrid and in world football, Camavinga's talent is among the best in the younger generation.
01. Let both Arsenal and Manchester United have ideas: Camavinga's talent is beyond doubt
a. From being named in the Under-20 Team of the Year to being named Real Madrid's Month of the Month
At the end of January 2023, the IFFHS (International Federation of Football History and Statistics) announced the 2022 UEFA Under-20 Team.
Compared to Barca, which has three people selected, Real Madrid only occupies a place in the 11-man squad, and the player selected is precisely the 20-year-old Camavinga.
That same month, Camavinga was named Real Madrid's Player of the Month of the Month.
Being recognized by the team also made the young man happy: "It's great to lift this trophy and I want to thank all the fans and friends, we are enjoying a happy moment together. ”
b. Arsenal and Manchester United are interested in him, do you believe the £115 million offer?
After a failed bid to buy Caicedo, Arsenal were once linked with Camavinga, and they wanted to ask for a six-month loan to make a transition for the summer window to buy Rice.
Because Arsenal are aiming to win the Premier League title this season, they also have the budget to bolster the midfield. However, with Chelsea buying Enzo and releasing Jorginho, Arsenal's link with Camavinga was severed.
With Manchester United's record getting better and the Champions League ticket next season just around the corner, Ten Hag's determination to strengthen the team is clear.
The latest rumours suggest they are willing to pay Camavinga up to £115 million in transfer fees to bring him to Old Trafford.
That's a staggering amount, but given Anthony's deal, Camavinga's talent clearly deserves the number.
02. There are often small mistakes in passing: talent is overflowing at a glance
a. There are often small mistakes in passing
In previous matches, Carlo Ancelotti had Camavinga play as a left-back because he was fast with the ball, moved aggressively on top and had good accuracy.
In the second leg of the Champions League knockout match against Liverpool, Camavinga returned to the back position and still played with ease.
Of course, the 20-year-old is sometimes a little casual in his passing movements.
This kind of presumptive pass is easy to misunderstand with teammates, and give the opponent the opportunity to counterattack after a mistake.
b. Talent at a glance: there are really many skills
As you can see from the heatmap, Camavinga can take on multiple roles at the back, front and wing.
Whether offensive or defensive, he will have a lot of things. It's just that the kicking style is more casual at this time, and there will be a little moment of distraction and mistakes.
First of all, Camavinga has a strong ability to get rid and change directions, and his level of possession in place is quite good.
This time after receiving the ball, he instantly dodged the Liverpool player's upper grab, and then distributed the ball to a teammate who was open on the flank.
Camavinga's dribbling ability is good, so he has even been used as a backup left-back in World Cup finals before.
Of course, he is not blindly covering his head and dribbling the ball, this time he starts and stops after propelling, attracting Liverpool players to grab and use the outside foot to pass teammates is a highlight.
Camavinga's ball intelligence and spatial insight are very good, and many of his mistakes are also due to a bit of whimsical handling of the ball, and he has no idea with his teammates.
Just like this time in the crowd of Liverpool, instead of stunned and straight at the striker (that is equivalent to letting the striker be caught by multiple people, the possibility of losing the ball is very high), but chose to change backwards and jump out of the encirclement.
It is right not to go straight to Asensio, from the perspective of Asensio's movement, even if he receives the ball, he is going to the flank.
Camavinga's change of direction this time made the situation clear. He was also not greedy and ceded the ball to the right-footed Ceballos, who brought the opportunity straight and eventually gave Asensio an inverted triangle shot from inside the box.
The only goal of the game came precisely from Camavinga to find Benzema. Liverpool's two centre-backs are both tall and open at the same time.
Camavinga's penetrating pass pierced through Liverpool's midfield, exposing the clunky flaws of their defenders, and eventually Venicius assisted Benzema's goal to give Real Madrid a double to Klopp's side.
03. Strong presence: He has a more definite role on both ends of the court
a. The advantage of the defensive end is that it is relatively fast
Camavinga has played an average of 50 minutes per game in La Liga this season. If you convert his steals and interceptions to 90 minutes, that's still considerable.
Overall, Camavinga is still relatively fast as a midfielder. Whether it's acceleration, or turning and traversing in an instant, there are advantages.
This time it was Camavinga's successful steal that gave Benzema a chance after breaking the ball. Unfortunately, Venicius, who split the flank, tried to find Kroos but failed to give a position.
Looking at this wave of defense, Camavinga quickly moved sideways after seeing Elliott find an open position, completing a block in the ribs.
b. The offensive end can directly threaten the goal
As you can see from the heat map of Camavinga's previous games, the player's presence is too strong (the first 2 are substitutes, the last 4 are starters).
Playing at the back can influence the opponent's defensive three zones, and playing full-back can go deep into the bottom line, which is also a characteristic of Camavinga.
Camavinga excels at dribbling, getting rid of, and delivering key passes into the core area.
His rhythm of ball control is actually very good, he can dribble but does not blindly move forward, and he can create space for himself by getting rid of and changing direction.
This time Camavinga turned back, dodged the chasing Milner, and then used a beautiful over-the-top ball to find Venicius on the front line.
Unfortunately, the Brazilian winger then found Benzema's cross and was cleared by Van Dijk (the referee made up for offside).
Not only will he go over the top (which was played in last season's win over Manchester City), Camavinga also has a strong long-range shot.
This time there was some space leaked in front of the Liverpool penalty area, and Camavinga directly played a high-quality shot after receiving the ball, but unfortunately the ball bounced off the crossbar.
Conclusion:
In the world of football, talent is ultimately the most attractive element. Despite his mistakes, despite his stunnedness, the 20-year-old Camavinga is a rare talent after all.
When Paris Saint-Germain gave up Camavinga for Wijnaldum, it was their biggest mistake. If Real Madrid let Camavinga go this summer, it could be an even bigger mistake.