again, not a fan of jude in the 10. last night’s game showed it clearly he was playing more like a number 9, always feeling the box, but doing almost nothing in the buildup. there were so many moments when we lacked bodies in midfield, yet he stayed high waiting for rebounds instead of helping connect play. crashing the box is fine every player should do it when the moment’s right to create danger but living there all game, waiting for a loose ball after a wasted vini shot, that’s just a tactical mess. it’s going to be a real problem in the long run, especially for the usa setup if that habit sticks.a proper number 10 should crash the box after mapping the final third, being the link between midfield and attack, not just another body inside the box. jude looks stuck in his first-season form, chasing that golden run where everything he touched went in, instead of reinventing himself and refining his playmaking. he’s turned into more of a shadow striker than a connector.when he doesn’t drop to help in the buildup, the midfield two get overrun, the front line gets isolated, and madrid lose control between the lines. it also messes up the press there’s no compactness, no clear trigger. if he just played 5–10 meters outside the box , he could help overload the middle, give vini and mbappe better angles, and actually dictate tempo instead of waiting for chaos in the box.jude’s got the quality to be that complete to be an 8 one who carry the ball and crash the box later, he still can arrive arrives late. but right now, he’s stuck chasing his glory moment

0

Honestly, if we keep creating this low volume of chances and just rely on Arda sending a through ball to Mbappe or Vini dropping deep to start something, then we seriously need to take a hard look at the midfield. We have two world-class attackers in their prime, yet they’re being wasted because the ball rarely reaches the final third with any purpose.Right now, the midfield feels like it exists solely to recover lost balls and recycle the ball. By the time they decide to advance, the opposition has already dropped into a low block. whether it’s Fede, Jude, or Camavinga the go to move is a long ball over the top, praying Mbappé or Vini can make something out of it. That can’t be the entire attacking plan.It’s genuinely frustrating to watch elite attackers stranded game after game because there’s no consistent link between midfield and attack. The midfield should be doing more than just recovering and making off-ball runs. When was the last time we saw one of them actually drive into the box with the ball at their feet and dribble like Modrić, Isco, or Özil used to? ffs.

0