Eduardo Camavinga's brutal summer reset is finally paying off at Real Madrid
Real Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga is a more mature man now than he has been in seasons prior, he claimed in the club's most recent press conference just a day before their match against AEK Athens on Wednesday.
Camavinga was the player chosen for the conference, and he gave a very precise but revealing conference on the day. He was asked about a lot of things, ranging from his development as a football player to how he has been able to manage the bad form and the stress that comes with it.
On the latter, he revealed that he had a very productive summer where he did a lot of learning and is now a more mature man than he was before. He said, "The truth is, it was a tough, difficult time for me, but I think that after every negative experience, there are good things I have to learn. I have worked really hard this summer, and I am a new man. I'm more disciplined than before.
"I am working to repay the faith the club has shown in me. I have thought a lot about things I need to improve. I spoke with the manager, and he gave me a lot of confidence.
“I went back to school, it was a very different experience. I worked on things I don’t usually do: discipline, I arrive two or three hours early to work out at the gym... Also my mindset, I’m a bit more mature.”
At least Eduardo Camavinga is trying to improve
Although Camavinga hasn't fully redeemed himself, he is definitely on the right path. The Frenchman has had a much better start to this season than he did last season, and he already looks to be a much improved version of the player who seemed like he got left behind by his peers for so many years. Camavinga was not able to improve as a football player. If anything, he was regressing in these last couple of years.
It seems like, ever since the arrival of Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid and Zinedine Zidane at France, Camavinga has been able to remove some of the regression that he faced in the last year or so. He looks more decisive with the ball. There are not as many mistakes on and off the ball as he was making in the last few years. He looks more confident with it. His passing has improved, and he has been able to hold his concentration for much longer than he was last season.
There are still a lot of things that Camavinga needs to improve on. Obviously, the odd lapse in concentration is still there, but things are improving. Even though it will take a while for him to get back to his absolute best, this is a good sign. To admit all of this in a press conference as well is a very good thing. It shows that the player is accepting the mistake first and foremost, but he's also learning from the same thing so that it does not get repeated.
He knows the gravity of the situation, being a 24-year-old at Real Madrid with not a lot going for him. To then be able to build his confidence back up, as well as his form, and just work his way back into contention is very impressive. There have been multiple people, many, many people, who have been critical of the midfielder, including the author, but at least he's trying to improve as a football player. That is what matters more than anything else.
