Lauren: Trent is the best in the world, but Carvajal deserved Ballon d’Or
Former Premier League and La Liga defender Lauren has told NewBettingOffers.co.uk that he believes Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold is the best right-back in the world right now, but Real Madrid star Dani Carvajal deserved to win the Ballon d’Or.
Speaking to NewBettingOffers.co.uk, Lauren said: “I think Trent Alexander-Arnold is the best right-back in the world right now alongside Dani Carvajal. I think Carvajal deserved the Ballon d’Or according to its criteria, he won the European Championship, Champions League and La Liga – he should’ve won it.
“Trent, though, can give you a lot on the pitch. He can cross the ball in, he can score goals from free kicks and open play, he also works well in the middle of the park. He helps in that sense dominate the middle of the pitch and put the pressure on, so he gives you so much more than a conventional right back.”
Lauren also commented on how great it is to see Reece James back in action for Chelsea.
He added: “It’s great to see Reece James playing again. He’s such a great player. He overlaps all the time and provides good crosses but is also intelligent enough to take players on one-on-one in the final third.
“The same goes for Ben White at Arsenal, although it’s not his preferred position which is at centre-half, he’s been very good in the right-back position. To see those players all in the Premier League playing the way they are, we just love to see it.”
Real Madrid players won’t lose any sleep over El Clásico loss
Carvajal was involved in Real Madrid’s 4-0 El Clásico loss to Barcelona, but Lauren feels the right-back and his teammates won’t lose any sleep over the embarrassing defeat.
He said: “It’s been the case with Real Madrid since I used to watch them growing up. When they lose one or two games it’s suddenly this massive disaster and the end of the world. At the end of the day, you’ll see Madrid fighting to win both La Liga and the Champions League, that’s just what they do and what they always have done.
“I know they got beaten 4-0 by Barcelona in El Clásico but the players won’t be losing any sleep over it because they all know how to handle the pressure – they’re able to control the emotional side of the game. It’s one of the most important things in football and every single year we see that in this Real Madrid team, they have setbacks, but they control their emotions and go on to win the league or the Champions League. They’ll undoubtedly be challenging both competitions again this year.”
Bellingham, Mbappe, Vinicius Jr. and Rodrygo need to work harder
Lauren highlighted that Real Madrid’s struggles of late come down to the forwards not working hard enough high up the pitch and taking their chances, which ultimately led to their embarrassing 4-0 defeat against Barcelona in El Clásico, however they have the resilience to bounce back and challenge in all major competitions this season.
Lauren said: “The three main facts at Real Madrid which may be causing their slight dip in form are that they’re not pressing well high up the pitch, they aren’t dominating the middle of the park and the chances that are being created aren’t being converted. That is exactly what we saw in the game against Barcelona.
“If you look at Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Jr., Rodrygo and Kylian Mbappe, they’ve only scored 14 goals between them. Compare that to Barcelona’s attack; Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, Lamine Yamal and Dani Olmo have got 31 goals so far in La Liga. That’s a big issue for Real Madrid.
“If they don’t press high up, dominate the midfield and score the chances they’ve created, Real Madrid will find themselves in the same position as they are in at the moment. We’re at a turning point right now in the year but come the end of the season I’m sure those players will start to score goals and the team will be challenging the trophies.”
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