Hala Madrid!...y nada más

[Freddie]

Spanish giants appoint Kaye as new manager



After news broke out earlier this month that club legend Ian Greaves would be retiring from football management and leaving Real Madrid, focus quickly turned to who would replace the veteran at the helm of Los Blancos. After an intensive application stage it was decided that Birmingham FC manager Freddie Kaye would be the man to take charge of the EFL 1 Champions.

The Scot has just come off the back of a productive season with the Brummies, achieving a top ten finish in the English Championship with the lowest wage budget in the whole of FFO. Alongside this he was also caretaking Spanish outfit Villarreal and almost led them to promotion from EFL 2 only to be denied by goal difference. While Kaye has produced the results at his previous clubs, the footballing world will be eager to see if he can make the step up to manage arguably the best club in FFO.

We spoke to Kaye after his appointment.

"I'm delighted to have been given the chance at this magnificent club" stated Freddie. "In my opinion it's the biggest club in the world and it's a real honour to have been given the chance to lead it. I understand the expectations and that this club expects to win every competition it enters. That will be our aim, to win. At Birmingham we were operating on a different level and we produced some brilliant football and finished strongly in the league. The pressure though was less and that will be completely different here. We're not here for second place, we're here to be champions."

Kaye inherits a squad full of talent and boasts some of the best players in FFO including Virgil Van Dijk, Nico Williams and Rodrygo. When asked about his plans for the squad he seemed delighted with players at his disposal.

"This team is world class, there's talent in every position. I've got a good idea of how I want my team to set-up and we're in a place where we can be really flexible which is only a good thing. Everyone will be given a chance to show what they're about but we have the ability to go big in the transfer market if we need to. There's only a few players that will really improve this squad so any investment will only be if the exact right player comes along"

Los Blancos fans are known to be a demanding group and after last season's success they will only expect more. Kaye seems up for the challenge of mixing it with FFO's best. He enters a league that contains the likes of Juventus, PSG and Atletico Madrid. It's a step up from a cold rainy night in Stoke but a challenge he looks set to embrace.

[Freddie]

Los Blancos ready for title defence



Real Madrid start the defence of their EFL 1 title this afternoon when they travel to Italian giants AC Milan for the first match of their campaign. Under the stewardship of new manager Freddie Kaye, the Scot has big shoes to fill after the departure of club legend Ian Greaves and he has been active following his arrival to ensure the club is in the best position possible to retain its title.

Real have had a busy preseason with multiple arrivals and departures to herald a new era of Galaticos. A keen focus of Kaye was to reduce the age of the playing squad while retaining enough quality to challenge for the league title.

This has seen the club recruit the trio of Aaron Wan Bissaka, Tariq Lamptey and Diogo Dalot from English club Chelsea. All three are defenders in their prime with Wan Bissaka being the more defensive minded player and Lamptey and Dalot both offering an exciting attacking threat from fullback.

Moving into midfield the club have managed to retain the services of world class midfielder Nico Williams despite huge interest from Juventus throughout preseason. The Spaniard will now be partnered with German powerhouse Leon Goretzka in midfield and further signings are expected to happen in the coming weeks to strengthen the centre of the park even more. Rumours are abound that Dutch maestro Frenkie De Jong could be set to join from Fiorentina.



Finally, the club will now be able to boast the forward line of Kylian Mbappe and Rodyrgo after the Frenchman signed a five year deal.

"We've made excellent progress in the transfer market" claimed Kaye. "I'm really happy with the work so far and we will hopefully be adding to the players in the next coming of weeks."

Alongside the transfer purchases, investment has also been ploughed into the club's infrastructure with the Bernabeu's capacity being increased to 75,000. Furthermore, the club have moved to improve their youth coaching system with the arrival of coach Santiago Solari. The ex-Madrid player will play a key role in developing the youth academy and ensuring the players are ready to take to the step up to the first team.

"The arrival of Santiago is real exciting. He's a top coach who knows how to progress players and help them achieve their potential. With the current shift in world football we know the importance of creating a youth set-up that will provide us with exciting talent for decades to come and we hope this is the beginning of something really successful" said Kaye.

Two starlets have also been sent out on loan to aid their development with Argentine playmaker Pablo Aimar joining English Championship side Norwich City on loan for the season and his countryman Sergio Aguero has been sent to Union Berlin in Germany. Both will go to quality and experienced managers in Jon Banks and Andy Babbs which will only help them fulfil their potential.

So will the progress in the transfer market and within the club play dividends this campaign? The club have a tough start away at Cheyenne Hollis' AC Milan and Kaye was able to give his thoughts on the match.

"We know the challenge Cheyenne and his team present. Cheyenne has been in football management for years and you can guarantee his teams will always be a threat who will make it incredibly difficult for you. We know this will be a difficult match but we are Real Madrid and our focus should be to win every match and that's what we will be aiming to do. We've had a good preseason, the players know what is expected of them and it's up to them to deliver."

[Freddie]

Real Weekly Update



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Los Blancos with mixed season start

Freddie Kaye's side started their EFL 1 campaign with a tough trip to Cheyenne Hollis' AC Milan outfit. In a classic smash 'n' grab performance, the Italians opened the scoring on seventeen minutes through Antonie Griezmann before shutting up shop and holding on to grind out a one-nil victory. Real dominated the match and had many opportunities to get back in the game but a combination of poor finishing and stubborn defending meant the reigning champions returned to Spain with nothing for their efforts.

Looking to recover from their opening day defeat Los Blancos welcomed Napoli to the Bernabeu in Round 2. The Naples side were destroyed by Fiorentina in the opening set of fixtures and with a young and inexperienced side Real knew three points was a must. Mbappe and co. delivered with aplomb. A five-one victory which in all honesty could have been a lot more if it wasn't for the heroics of Odysseas Vlachodimos in the Napoli goal. The Greek keeper keeping the score just about respectable for the away team but he was unable to prevent goals from Diogo Dalot, Leon Goretzka, Sergino Dest and a Kylian Mbappe brace.

Freddie Kaye gave his opinion on the opening games.

"Disappointed with the result against AC. We knew it would be difficult but we were so wasteful in front of goal. We had so many opportunities to win the game but we didn't take them. We were the better side and that's pleasing but if you don't score then everything else is irrelevant. I'm pleased with how we bounced back against Napoli though. The lads showed good resilience and deserved the three points. I was particularly happy with the creativity we showed from midfield, we looked really dangerous."

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Transfer Activity Continues!

The club have continued to strengthen and made their intentions know earlier in the week that they were keen to sign Fiorentina's elite centre back Eder Militao. Last night the deal was confirmed with the Brazilian moving alongside David Alaba to the Spanish capital. A world class defender who will undoubtedly strengthen the first eleven, Militao hasn't come cheaply. The deal see's Tariq Lamptey and Aaron Wan Bissaka move in the opposite direction.

"In order to strengthen the team we know we need to target the best players in the world" explained Kaye. "We're up against the very best in EFL 1 and the Champions League and we're confident Eder can make a massive difference for us. He's a top top defender who will bring ability and leadership to our backline. To bring in David (Alaba) alongside him is also a really nice bonus. David is a very versatile player who has a heap of experience that will only help us in our aim to win the league."

News also broke from the Bernabeu this morning that the club are expected to finalise the signings of Frenkie De Jong and Stanislav Lobotka from Fiorentina in the next week. The Champions aren't resting on their laurels, they're looking to bring in the best and continue strengthening.

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Monaco await



Tomorrow the team are in the French Riviera to take on AS Monaco caretaker managed by Stockport boss Mike Bridge. They have had a good start to the season with a win and draw and currently sit one place above Madrid in fifth place. They have a fully fit squad to pick from and much focus will be on captain Raul Jimenez who is set to lead the line for them. The thirty four year old Mexican is a key player for Bridge's team and will be a big threat for the home side.

Real have no injury worries or suspensions to contend with so expect a strong starting eleven. Militao and Alaba are likely to be given debuts for the team as they aim to get three points and close in on early league leaders Juventus.

[Freddie]

Real Weekly Update

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Troubled league start continues




Los Blancos start to their EFL 1 season has continued to produce mixed results with the Spanish side so far failing to produce the form that saw them clinch the title last year. Kaye's side currently find themselves in ninth place, five points off top spot Fiorentina and have struggled to produce any sort of consistency in the first seven games.

After the opening day defeat to AC Milan, Real bounced back with a five-one demolition of Napoli. This was followed up with a goalless draw in the French Riviera against AS Monaco. Many thought a corner had been turned when Inter arrived at the Bernabeu in round four and were destroyed four-one and an excellent performance to go with it.
Unfortunately when Los Blancos travelled to Lisbon for their next match against Jason Fortune's Sporting they could only record a one-one draw despite dominating possession for large chunks of the match.
Things got even worse for Kaye's side when they welcomed Hamza Siddiqui's AS Roma to Spain for round six and despite outclassing the Italians for most the game, they fell to a two-nil defeat much to the dismay of everyone associated with the club.
Fans will be hopeful however that Monday's tough victory away to Celtic in Glasgow will be the start of the turnaround however and the club can make up ground on the league leaders.

"It's been a tricky opening seven games" admitted boss Freddie Kaye. "At times we've been excellent and really shown what we are about and then at other times we've been poor. I think ultimately where we have lacked is a killer instinct in front of goal. Nearly our games we've dominated possession but haven't converted from the large of amount of chances we've created. If we can turn those chances into goals then we'll improve but we need to do better and the players know that."

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Champions League campaign brings joy!



Despite a troubled start to their EFL campaign, it is in the Champions League where Real have started positively and currently sit top of their group. In a group which contains Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Manchester United this is no mean feet, made all the more impressive by the fact Los Blancos have already netted five and not yet conceded a goal.

Their opening day fixture saw them thrash English giants Manchester United at the Bernabeu. A Kylian Mbappe brace, Nico Williams thunderbolt and David Albaba header handed them the win and a massive confidence booster to start the group campaign.

This was followed up by a one-nil victory at home to Arsenal last night. In a much tighter affair, it took a seventieth minute strike from American fullback Sergino Dest to hand Los Galacticos the win and move them three points clear at the top of Group A.

Next Wednesday the club will be away in Germany for an all star clash with Bayern Munich. The German's will know a victory is vital to keep in contention for qualifying and after an excellent start to their EFL 1 Campaign they are sure to provide a more than stern test for Madrid.

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Fiorentina Duo Sign



Real have confirmed the signings of Fiorentina duo Frenkie De Jong and Stanislav Lobotoka. The midfielders have both signed three year contacts at the Bernabeu.

"We've been trying to sign them for a few weeks now" explained Kaye. "They're both excellent players who each bring something different to our midfield. Frenkie's ability on the ball and versatility gives us so much more options in terms of how we set up. Stanislav is one of the world's best defensive midfielders and we're confident he'll bring real quality to our starting eleven."

It is also thought the arrivals of De Jong and Lobotoka could mean Leon Goretezka may be allowed to leave the club with sources claiming Real are listening to offers.