Maldini enters the row over Guler's sending-off: I trust the integrity of the referees and VAR
Sevilla are right to feel angry
Movistar Plus analyst Julio Maldonado, known as "Maldini", praised the standard of the match between Real Madrid and Sevilla, which ended in a 4-1 win for Los Blancos in La Liga.
Newspaper Sport published Maldini's comments, made on his YouTube channel, where he began by saying: "It was a match in which we saw wonderful and exceptional goals. The quality of the goals was truly stunning."
Real Madrid produced some good things and some not-so-good things, Maldini reckoned, against a Sevilla side who competed very well despite the scoreline.
He also backed Jose Mourinho's calls: Endrick in from the start, Guler shifted back into midfield and Valverde at right back.
"That is not the position he prefers to play in, but I believe he should be Real Madrid's first-choice right back," he said.
One player drew more praise than anyone else from the Movistar Plus analyst. Diomande, who he believes deserved to earn a place in Real Madrid's starting line-up.
He explained: "He scored a wonderful goal, but beyond that goal, you have to bear in mind that up to that moment he was finding it very difficult to finish off attacks well. And I do not forget that he set up Guler's goal. In truth, what he produced was not just a pass, it was an assist."
Diomande's defensive work earned a nod too. "He defended a lot and defended well. He was practically playing the role of a second full back constantly, with Guler moving into the middle. And that is exactly what we should be asking of a player like Diomande."
That level, the analyst believes, leaves Vinicius Junior under pressure. "The comparison with the Brazilian winger is unavoidable. Vinicius knows that if he does not deliver what Diomande delivered, he will not have chances to play. That is the truth."
Sevilla had every right to feel angry about Guler's blow with the hand aimed at Pique, Maldini accepted. But he had not seen any footage clearly showing an assault.
He said: "There is no footage showing an elbow that constitutes an assault, nor a push strong enough to settle whether it warrants a red card or not. So I do not believe there is any footage that allows you to see clearly what happened, at least among the images the referee was able to watch."
"I always trust in the integrity of the referees and in VAR. And so I understand that they did not see footage that was clear enough," he added. "Honestly, I do not know. There were Sevilla players on the pitch, and perhaps they saw what happened, but I cannot take a definitive stance on this incident."
The win was hugely important for Mourinho's side, Maldini emphasised, especially with Barcelona refusing to slip up.
His parting verdict? The Clasico "may determine the future of the title race for both teams".
