One of the biggest changes heading into the 2023/24 campaign for Real Madrid will be the set-piece duties.
After all, the players who have dominated the department over the past few years might no longer carry the same prominence.
Karim Benzema monopolised the penalty responsibility in recent years, even scoring nine penalties last season. With his departure, however, the team needs someone to step up to the pedestal, with Rodrygo Goes and Luka Modric set to take over.
The situation with free kicks, however, is different. Over the past few seasons, Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, and Marco Asensio have dominated the opportunities. However, the veteran midfielders will not be centre-stage next season and Asensio is no longer at the club.
According to reports from AS (h/t Madrid Xtra), Rodrygo will be Real Madrid’s primary free-kick taker next season. After all, the youngster has shown to have the technique required to shine on the stage.
The Br azilian scored his first free-kick for Los Blancos in a pre-season friendly against Bayern Munich. He then replicated his success against Sevilla in the 37th Matchday of La Liga earlier this year to score the equaliser to Rafa Mir’s opener.
With the complete responsibility now on his shoulders, the 22-year-old youngster will have more opportunities to prove his worth from set-pieces. It also reaffirms his participation as a regular starter come August.
Only Kylian Mbappe’s arrival, it appears, can deny him the spotlight.
In 34 La Liga appearances for Real Madrid last season, the youngster scored nine goals and provided eight assists. Further, he averaged 1.4 key passes per game and created ten big chances for the team.