Real Madrid Castilla 10/11

By: Corey | July 28th, 2010

The Canteranos Selected for the US Tour

Another preseason, and another Castilla preview for all Real Madrid fans to pour over as they look for the next great promise of the cantera. This is the fourth time I have done this and I have to say, this time the turnover was amazing, but that this year may be the best positioned for promotion and to graduate a few players to the first then in the previous three years. Not sense the De la Red/Negredo/Soldado/Granero/Javi Garcia years has there been such a buzz about a generation in the Castilla. And not just the Castilla team, but also many of the Real Madrid C team players as well, who look like having bright futures also. So without haste, lets get the preview started with a quick run down of some of the administrative duties, starting with the league calendar, then the coaching staff and player ins and out before I get to my squad breakdown.

Real Madrid Castilla Season Schedule:

Real Madrid Castilla’s season has taken shape with a full match schedule now published. Have a look for yourself below:

Some interesting match-ups of course, with a couple of local derbies that really spice things up this year. Luckily for Castilla, only one of the Segunda teams that were demoted this year (Pontevedra) parachuted into the “Madrid Region” or Group A. This means that if they can do well against the other B Teams in the group and get a few road wins against the likes of Extremadura, Alcala, Leganes and Vecindario, they will have a fighting chance of gaining promotion this year. The season is long, and very unpredictable at this level, but as long as the team stays injury free they have a legitimate spot at making it to the promotion playoffs. The only thing that could hinder the team is that some of its best pieces will be sent out on loan, or may end up in the first team permanently (shocking I know) under Mourinho.

One of the main reasons I do believe this season may be the best for the team in some time is that they have an exceptional crop of players that while young and wet behind the ears at this level, are coming in to their own as professionals over the next year or two. With that, the addition of a few players last year and this year with experience in the Segunda B who have been maintained, as well as the faith shown in coach Alejandro Menendez who returns for his second season at the helm will provide consistency that has not been seen since Real were demoted to the Segunda B so many years ago. There is also a buzz around the entire academy not only because of the strong generation being brought through the C and Castilla team, but also because new manager Jose Mourinho has taken a liking to many of these players, and has personally visited with the teams to encourage them for their seasons. The Castilla and C team each got a visit from The Special before beginning training, and it is expected that he will be more attentive to their results and players performances then previous coaches.

With all of these factors swirling around Valdebabs, there is a sense of renewed hope for the academy players eyeing first team spots. Lets first discuss the four additions to the Castilla team for the upcoming season, Joselu, Pablo Gil, Jesus Fernandez and Mandi. A more in-depth analysis of these players is contained below where I preview the entire squad, but from the looks of it, only Joselu has been recruited for a shot at the first team. As has been the problem recently for Real, center back development has been poor, so the previous seasons we have had to buy defenders such as Gary, Juanan and not Pablo Gil. Mandi is a winger who may take the place of Juanfran Moreno, who looks a good bet for a first team spot, while Jesus Fernandez is a stop gap measure as Adan will be a permanent member of the first team and the C team still counts on the services of Tomas Mejias. Joselu we all know is a promising striker we purchased from Celta last season along with Rodrigo Moreno, although he stayed there on loan while Rodrigo came in to the Juvenil A team immediately.

The Ins and Outs:

In addition to those four youngsters being brought in, loan players such as Marcos Tebar and Jose Zamora were added to the second team again, although Tebar has begun the season with the first team. There were also a large group of players promoted from the C Team, as well as a few from the Juvenil A team. Coming from the C Team is Victor Merchan, Denis Tcherichev and Antonio Martinez, while the Juvenil A Team graduate Alex Fernandez, Daniel Carvajal and Alvaro Morata. Pablo Sarabia, Rodrigo Moreno, Juan Carlos and Samu have all maintained their status in the Castilla team after promotions mid-year, along with Alex Fernandez’s brother, Nacho Fernandez. Are very large turnover of players, with the Castilla squad very filled out with bodies now. As I have mentioned before, the Tebar/Mosquera/Parejo/Granero central midfielder generation has finally begun to clear out (Javi Velayos as well), with only David Mateos still left. Mateos for his part looks likely to join Racing Santander before the transfer window.

With the players being brought in, we also had some players leaving. Most notably is Pedro Mosquera, former captain of the side, who moved to Getafe this summer with the usual contractual agreement to begin his La Liga adventure. Gary Kagelmacher has not had his contract renewed as he has signed for Germinal Beerschot in Belgium on a two year contract. Daniel Opare has left for Standard Liege, where he will hopefully return to fitness and form. Opare will have the option of rejoining Real at any time as Standard is a ‘link’ club with Real. As mentioned above, David Mateos will most likely move to Racing Santander, while Javier Modrego has moved to Villareal B after his contract was rescinded mid-season. Also of note is that Miguel Cordero, who signed from Sevilla B last season, has moved to Xerez on a three year contract. Ho hum…

Miguel Palanca has signed for Elche on a three year deal to help their promotion push, while Agus will remain with Cordoba, although details of his contract are unknown at this time. Adam Szalai has also stayed with Mainz for the moment, although former clubs Stuttgart and Borussia Dortmund are also interested. No financial details were released of the deal, but I believe the clause was for 2.5 million euros when the initial loan was setup last season. No news on the status of Chema Anton, who spent most of last season with the C team, although he barely played. He will most likely be released along with another fallen prospect in Gorka. Marcos Alonso has left for Bolton although there has been no word on a buy-back clause being used, while Rodrigo Moreno was in a similar situation with Benfica until an impressive three games for the Spain u-19 team has made Mourinho take notice. Other possible departures include Ruben Ramos, Javier Acuna when he recovers from his knee troubles, and the winger David Vazquez.

As a recap, the moves out of the club are:

Pedro Mosquera – Getafe
Gary Kagelmacher – Germinal Beerschot
Daniel Opare – Standard Liege
Javier Modrego – Villarreal B
Miguel Palanca – Elche
Agus – Cordoba
Adam Szalai – Mainz
Marcos Alonso – Bolton
Miguel Cordero – Xerez

The moves in to the club include:

Mandi – Ponferradina
Joselu – Celta de Vigo
Jesus Fernandez – Numancia
Pablo Gil – Albacete
Marcos Tebar – Girona loan return
Jose Zamora – Ponferradina loan return
Victor Merchan, Denis Tcherichev and Antonio Martinez – Real Madrid C
Alex Fernandez, Daniel Carvajal and Alvaro Morata. – Real Madrid Juvenil A

And rumored moves in and out:

Rodrigo – Benfica
Mateos – Racing Santander
David Vazquez – Segunda teams
Ruben Ramos – Segunda teams
Javier Acuna – Segunda teams

Also of note, there are several rumors that Real Madrid has signed a young Argentine striker, Juan Lescano, who had been training with Liverpool previously. The club has not confirmed this deal yet, and he has not trained with the Castilla team as of yet, so I will assume this is just a rumor, although several English news agencies say it is a done deal due to Liverpool being unable to acquire a work permit for the player. At 17, he will probably start with the C or Juvenil A team despite his frame. I have seen a few highlights videos of him and was not all that impressed, as he looked like he was playing against 10 year olds. When I hear more on this player I will update everyone.

Preseason Friendlies:

Real Madrid’s first team players, and some academy players had a scrimmage against what will be the bulk of the Castilla team last week, with the result a 1-0 win for the senior side, but the loan goal tallied by Morata, an academy player. Here were the lineups:

Real Madrid: Dudek (Adan, min. 46); Nacho (Carvajal, min. 46), Diarra (Tebar, min. 46), Garay, Marcelo; Gago (Alex Fernandez, min. 46), Lass, Drenthe (Joselu, min. 46), Granero (Morata, min. 46), Pedro Leon (Juanfran, min. 46); Benzema

Castilla: Felipe Ramos (Jesus, min. 33/ Tomas Mejias, min. 60); Luis Hernandez, Juanan, Pablo Gil, Casado; Mandi (Merchan, min. 46), Vazquez (Mateos, min. 46), Sarabia (Raul Ruiz, min. 46), Juan Carlos (Denis, min. 46); Ruben Ramos (Samu, min. 46), Cristian.

Note: Casado, who played at left back for the Castilla side is registered to the C team and was brought in from Rayo Vallecano this offseason. Typically Nacho plays at left back, but he played for the first team at right back during this game. Casado is included in the team preview below as part of the C player notables as with the loss of Marcos Alonso, Nacho is now the starting left back.

I cant say that the teams put out for either the first or second team give to many clues to what we are likely to see this season, given that both squads are deprived of international players and that some of the better academy players played with the first team. But there are a few points to be made. First, it looks like the new additions to the squad will see plenty of time under Menendez, who will probably have to slowly introduce the promoted players to Segunda B football. Also of note is that with so many strong attacking players in the squad, Menendez will have to devise a way to get the ball to them as well as defend effectively. Juan Carlos has shown to be a great distributor as well as goal scorer, but with Mosquera gone and Tebar likely to leave also, who will clean up in midfield? Cordero is no longer a candidate, so there is Mandi and the often injured Fran Rico, so that role remains to be filled.

There was also a preseason friendly played against Palencia which featured

3- C.F. Palencia: Castilla; Eric Rivero, Héctor, Aitor Blanco, Durantez; Marcos del Río, Zazu, Pelayo, De Paula; Jairo Álvarez y Clyde Longa.
También jugaron: Diego, Chupri, Serrano, Saavedra, Solabarrieta, Alejandro, Víctor, Paulino, Chuchi, Rui, Canario y Adrián.

5- Real Madrid Castilla: Jesús; Luis Hernández, Jorge Casado, Pablo Gil, Juanan; Mandi, Juan Carlos, Raúl Ruiz, Fran Rico; Joselu y Rubén Ramos.
También jugaron: Tomás Mejías, Merchán, Pablo Sarabia, Samuel, Cristián; Javi H. y Mateos.

Goals:
1-0: De Paula (7’)
1-1: Joselu (26’)
1-2: Raúl Ruiz (30
1-3: Fran Rico (39’)
1-4: Cristián (48’)
1-5: Denis (61’)
2-5: Paulino (68′)
3-5: Chuchi (69’)

You can see that despite what I consider a weaker central midfield then last year, the defense was pretty strong until changes were made in the second half. And of course, the attack was firing on all cylinders again, with debutant Joselu getting on the board first, followed by a revitalized Raul Ruiz. Fran Rico, Cristian and Denis rounded out the scoring for Castilla, and it was nice to see Fran Rico scoring from midfield, which will add a potent threat with Juan Carlos. Cristian has continued on from last year, and youngster Denis also got on the board, which is encouraging to see from a player with no experience at this level. Interesting that Juan Carlos was used in a wider position, and Ruben Ramos again started. You would think Samu or Cristian would be a better option up front, while Sarabia must be starting in the midfield, probably in place of Rico or Juan Carlos.

Now on to the player by player break down. Lets start with with new additions, then the promoted players, then those who were with the squad last year.

Joselu:

I did a small excerpt on this player for the Spain WC blog earlier this year, so I will paraphrase from that write up:

Joselu is a big frame at 6′2″, but he prefers to play in the box from what I have seen. His future looks bright, especially since he will be leaving the sinking ship that is Celta Vigo. A Spanish youth international since he was 18, he has four caps and one goal this qualifying campaign. Alot of his early promise (he scores Spain’s second here) still needs to be firmed up with play in the first division, something he will not get next year with the Castilla team, but he has potential and is still only 19. If he can break in to the Real Madrid first team next year, he may take a familiar path that Alvaro Negredo and Roberto Soldado took as loan stars. Probably not ready for the Euro, but if he gets playing time in La Liga, expect him to develop in to a Guiza-like player. Lets hope he doesnt frustrate in much the same way.

In the context of the Spanish NT it seemed fitting, and in the context of the Castilla team you can see how his physical presence will fill in for the loss of Szalai. He is a similar player to Negredo more so then Soldado in that he has a bit of foot skills and does not thrive entirely off of high balls, but that will most likely be the game he will have to play alongside speedy partners like Cristian, Rodrigo and Samu. He might not ever make the first team, but he will be a decent La Liga striker for his career.

Mandi:

Not the handsomest of players, but he is said to be an effective “cleaner” in the center of the field, possibly filling the role of Mosquera in the team. I have never seen him play before, so it would not be wise to predict how he will do in such a role, but I doubt he will be as good a distributor as Mosquera. He is quite tall at 1′80, which gives him a different look to other options in the center of the field such as Fran Rico or Juan Carlos. Despite that, his first team products are probably limited, so lets just hope he can do a good job for the Castilla team in some capacity. He played for Ponferradina last season as they were promoted to the Segunda, but chose to leave to stay in the Segunda B. At 21 he is still a young man, but you have to wonder why some players choose to play for Real’s second squad instead of first team football a division higher…

Pablo Gil:

I do not know much about this player aside from him being a center back. One of the fug crew as well judging by that picture…. Anyways, Pablo Gil played for Albacete last season in the Segunda with Juanmi Callejon, making 9 starts and appearing 12 times overall. He is also 21 years old, and while he may end up being a starter alongside Juanan, the same question comes up as to why he left the Segunda for the Segunda B? The other thing worth mentioning is that given the lack of options in the Castilla team for center backs, he was brought in as a stop gap solution and is not all that promising a player for the long term.

Jesus Fernandez:

Felipe Ramos has his shaky moments, and with Adan no longer providing competition, Jesus Fernandez was drafted in for a little depth. He previously has experience with Numancia in the Segunda. He may see some playing time actually, as Ramos does commit the odd gaffe or two. But most likely he will be a backup until he eventually moves on when his contract is up in two years time. Nice to have him though.

Daniel Carvajal:

And so we begin the group of players promoted from the C and Juvenil teams this off season. Carvajal is a right back that was promoted from the Juvenil A team this season as a backup to Luis Hernandez. Although he may not be a backup, as he has been training with the first team for the start of the preseason, and that is usually an indication that the coaching staff rates him highly. Luis Hernandez is a good player, maybe not of first team quality, but he will have to up his game, as Carvajal, a Spanish youth international, will surely over take him at some point in the season. Highly touted, I look forward to seeing him play.

Denis:

He has been training with the first team a few times, and has shown some strength as a striker as well as a winger. A Russian youngster who has been in the academy for quite some time, he was promoted from the C team this year after starting a majority of their games last year. He was rated well, and the name actually resonates with me because he was included in some of the u-19 teams that played in Copa del Rey tournaments in previous years, although not this past year. If he can figure out whether he is a striker or a winger he will flourish, but he may be a little out of his depth to start with the Castilla. Substitute appearances to start, and he may be a spark of the bench. I do think the first team is out of his reach at this point, but the coaching staff thinks highly off him since he has trained with the first team.

Alex Fernandez:

Younger brother to Castilla’s starting left back Nacho Fernandez, the ‘ginger genius’ as I can dub him now, he is an energetic central midfielder who was one of the final cuts for the u-19 Euro squad. Luckily for him, he went straight in to training with the first team because of this, further helping his chances for the future. Still very young at 18, he will compete with Juan Carlos as the more creative central midfielder. Some have said he is so good he could make the jump to Segunda football already. Lets keep our fingers crossed that he is able to develop into a Ruben de la Red type player. In the meantime he will providing competition in the center of the field with Juan Carlos, Mandi and Raul Ruiz. He may be the midfield solution I had pointed out the team needed, but I have not seen him play as of yet in a holding role, so we will have to wait and see.

Alvaro Morata:

Described as one of the future stars of Spain, Morata is a clinical finisher and expert at holding up the ball. He has been an ever present player in the Spanish youth teams, although it was a bit strange that he was overlooked for the u-19 tournament this summer, but I suppose he still has time for such a tournament at 18. He has trained with the first team this summer and scored in the inter-squad scrimmage, further highlighting his prowess in front of goal. He may get a shot at the first team if Rodrigo is loaned out, otherwise he will compete with Joselu for a spot alongside Samu and Cristian in the two man strike force. I could see Samu and Morata striking up a very lethal partnership, although neither offers much of a physical presence. A five star prospect for sure.

Victor Merchan:

The only player promoted to the Castilla team that did not train with the first team this summer, Merchan has been at Real his entire career. A playmaker from the wing, his skills have been overshadowed by Pablo Sarabia, but Merchan is an interesting player. Not blessed with exceptional speed, he works the wings well and is a decent crosser of the ball. He will take time to get use to the Castilla team, and like Denis, will need to figure out if he wants to play out wide or if he can play behind a striker, although Menendez prefers a 4-4-2.

Antonio Martinez:

A central midfielder, I do not know anything of the player.

Raul Ruiz:

While I tipped Raul Ruiz to make a big impact with the Castilla team last year, Juanfran overshadowed him. Part of the problem was Raul had injury troubles, but indifferent form was to blame as well. After such a promising start to his career at Hercules, I really do hope he can put last year behind him and come on again this year. He is a very quick, very talented winger who is a legitimate goal threat, but with the 4-4-2 that Menendez plays, Raul’s ability to run down the flank at will is limited because of his defensive responsibilities. With all of the attacking options in this team, he once again be overshadowed. Im keeping my fingers crossed though, because he could be a good player.

Cristian:

Signed from Alicante last season, he was top scorer with the Castilla on eleven goals (Juan Carlos also scored ten in half a season with the team). A decent return for the player, although previous seasons have seen 20+ goal scorers like Szalai, Negredo, Callejon, Soldado etc. On the small size, his skill on the ball and guile in the box has created chances, but he still must work on his finishing. I do worry that he is to small to play at the top of the attack, and that he does not possess a great deal of pace either. Hopefully with his fellow attackers maturing this year, he will too, but I have a feeling that he may be to weak a player to lead the line despite 15 goals or so this year. Not first team material at this point, he may end up being second fiddle to Samu and Morata by the end of the year.

Javi Hernandez:

A very strong forward that is not much of a finisher, but he does offer a different option for the attack. What is interesting about this player is that despite his size (or physical power, he is not all that tall), he does not like to lead the line, instead playing in the hole and often dropping deep to gather the ball. While I have never thought of him as a first team prospect, he is a useful player and could have a decent career in the Segunda B/Segunda much like Tote, Portillo or Aganzo have. Its not Champions League football, but its a career.

Ruben Ramos:

I was sort of scratching my head last year when this player was signed on a free from Atletico. It was a very obvious lack of planning-type move that the Calderon era was known for, especially with the mismanagement of the cantera. He had a negligible effect on the team last year and has not created much interest for his services like Coredero did with a steady and efficient campaign. He will hang around this year until his contract is up and then he will probably float around the Segunda B for awhile. A talented player, but he does not seem to have the quality for La Liga.

Acuna:

Had a bright start to last season, and made the bench for the first teams trip to Gijon, but shortly there after he tore his ACL and his season was over. Still recovering from that injury, this season will be seen as a rehab year for what was a career that was gaining steam after troubles at Cadiz. I doubt he has much a chance of playing for the first team anymore, and the best the club can do is to get him healthy and let him show off for a contract somewhere else. Its a terrible situation, but not an uncommon one. All the best to Javier.

Juan Carlos:

Not much has been written about this kid, but he had a phenomenal year after being promoted from the C team along with Sarabia, Samu and Rodrigo. As a central midfielder, he scored 10 goals in half a season, a very strong showing for a previously unheralded player. I was able to see a couple of the goals he scored, and they were of a certain quality that I would compare him in talent to a young Alberto Rivera, who was a box to box midfielder of high quality for his age. Juan Carlos just runs and runs and runs, and has a great touch on the ball that gets him in to goal scoring positions. I really like this player, and I was a little surprised that he was not included in first team training yet, but I suppose the Castilla team can not be laid bare for their own preseason training. He will certainly be the next central midfield star of the cantera, much like De la Red, Borja, Granero, Parejo etc. Lets hope he is able to make his mark again this year and garner some attention from Mourinho.

Fran Rico:

Injuries of blighted what looked like a promising career for this player, who has shown glimpses of his talent as a central midfielder at times. What is really interesting is that when he was brought in to the team two seasons ago, he was considered a wing player along with Miguel Palanca, when they were brought in together. Jose Zamora, Daniel Opare and Cristopher Schorch were also brought in at the same time, and all but Zamora has already left the club. What I am trying to say is that Fran Rico is the only player still at the club after two seasons, which is a bit interesting because he was considered the most talented. Injuries really have stalled his career, but there is a certain class to his ability to move the ball around the pitch from a central position. He will fight it out with Juan Carlos for a central midfield berth, although they might partner each other as that areas seems to be the weak point of the team this year, with only Mandi an established played, and the unknown commodity of Antonio Martinez, to fill out the ranks.

David Vazquez:

Vazquez is a winger, and has been with the club for awhile, but I cannot find any significant information on him.

Nacho Fernandez:

Nacho ended up starting at left back for the second half of last season as Marcos Alonso flirted with the first team before getting injured. He is also capable of playing in the center of defense, and is a quick and efficient player much like Miguel Torres. That means he is not a great offensive threat, which I suppose is not all that big a deal at this level. I do not think he is ready for the first team yet, but he is only 18, so he has a year or two to learn and develop his game before he looks to make that jump. He may have the quality, but I will hold my breath, as many a lads have failed to make the jump to the first team’s gapping hole, the left back position.

Juanan:

Added last year as a replacement for Agus, he provided a physical presence and respected reading of the game. He also flirted with the first team on occasion, and I suspect if he was given a chance he might impress. I will not go so far as to say that he is a La Liga ready center back, but if Mourinho was to work with him I bet he could develop in to a suitable back up player. If that is not to happen, he will play out the year with the Castilla team and I suspect he will be a player that several La Liga and Segunda teams will take a look at buying next summer. His size and his calm reading of the game is hard to come by these days.

Luis Hernandez:

If we sign Maicon this kid has no future, which would be a pity. He is such a stereotypical cantera lad, and I mean that the best possible way. Determined and committed, he is a possible candidate for the captaincy this year. I would compare him to Miguel Torres in that he is a quiet lad from a middle class family that would play for the first team for $500 a week. He is not a flashy player, nor is he a big name, but I do think that if Arbeloa was to be committed to the left back spot, Luis Hernandez would be a good understudy to Ramos. Maybe he would not be ready just yet for La Liga football, but at 18 (going on 19), he will be considered for a right back berth if Ramos gets moved in to the center. He will be essential to Castilla’s promotion push as a leader in the locker room.

Samu:

I love this guy. He is small but really determined to win every ball, and he has a good skill set to play up top. Like Cristian he lacks the physical presence, but he is far more aggressive with defenders, and he is a decent finisher. He will have to improve on his finishing I suppose, but he should be considered a ‘crack’, as his skills would be better suited in the hole. I really hope that after this season he has grown up a bit and will be in contention for preseason 2011/2012. He did not have the growth spurt of Rodrigo, or the notoriety of Sarabia, but he is a gem of the academy and will be important for Castilla this year.

Pablo Sarabia:

I do not have to say all that much about this kid. Everyone likes his potential, I think he is pretty good, but he needs to mature physically and he needs to work on his play on the wing, as it will be difficult to break in to the team as a central attacking player.

Jose Zamora:

He was brought in from Espanyol, or was it Eibar (???) two years ago but after a marginal first year, he spent a season on loan at Ponferradina, and I did not hear anything about him. Should be with the squad for a bit, and may play a couple of games just because he is a little older and has plenty of Segunda B experience, which will come in handy. But he has no future with the club unless things change dramatically.

Rodrigo Moreno:

I saw this kid play in the first u-19 Euro game against Croatia, and he looked very good. Since then, he has not looked as composed with the ball, but if he was to join the first team right now he would fine. I dont know if sending him to Benfica is a great idea, just because he barely knows Real as his own club after only one season here, but I cant make that call. I like that despite being a big body, he is pretty quick on and off the ball. He also has a tendency to drift out wide to the left, which is always a good trait for a striker, since straight forward runs through the defense are never enough. If a coach, whether it be Mourinho and Karanka, or Benfica’s Jorge Jesus, can work with him on his position, whether it be a striker or a winger, it would help his game. I always maintain a player should have a set position, and then be able to play a few other roles, not the other way around. Otherwise they are considered utility men the rest of their career.

Felipe Ramos:

Should be the starting keeper this year, although Jesus Fernandez looks a commanding figure. As with all youth keepers, they are very good but they will never nudge Iker Casillas out of the starting job. Especially since Iker is now a World Cup winning captain, and the first team captain of the team. Ramos will spend two or three years playing in the Castilla before he replaces Adan as #2 or #3 and then moves on to a La Liga club and looks serviceable as a keeper. See Codina, Diego Lopez, Cesar, Kiko Casilla etc etc etc.

David Mateos:

I was expecting him to move to Racing Santander any day now, but the club has backed off a bit as they have got Barcelona center back Henrique on a season long loan, and they are looking at other targets. Still, Santander only has three centerbacks in the first team with the capture of Henrique, so Mateos may still be required. At his age, he needs to move on to a new challenge for his career.

Juanfran Moreno:

Another kid that I really like, he is a tricky winger who made his debut in a dramatic win last year under Pellegrini, and scored some real beauts towards the end of the year with Castilla, including a goal from half way. He has bounced around alot in his career, so I would opposed to a loan, but after only a few days of training with the first team he made the list for the USA tour, so obviously Mourinho sees what several first team players saw last year, calling him a ‘little Ronaldo’. I really hope he gets a first team spot, as he is beyond Castilla at this point, as long as he can stay in shape. A great prospect who is ready for La Liga football. Hell, I guess I could consent for a loan just so I could see the kid develop in to a real dazzler of a player.

C Team Notable Players

Oscar Plano, Nacho, Molero and Ruebn Sobrino

The C team is one level below the Castilla team, and is comprised of the three Juvenil team graduates (A, B and C) as well as the occasional signing. This year the C team sold one of its better players, Juanma Torres, a striker, to Puertollano, as he was not promoted to the Castilla team. Often Real looses some good players when the jump from C to Castilla is not made rather quickly, i.e. Gerardo Bruna and that little twerp who plays for Almeria, but usually the C squad is very competitive as it draws from a large pool of players. The team also brought in three players, Jorge Casado from Rayo Vallecano, Josep Sene who is a center midfielder/striker who replaces Juanma Torres in backing up Denis and Morata, and Daniel Juarez, a center back from Aranjuez. Below are a couple of players who may see time with Castilla this season.

Ruben Sobrino:

Another striker who made the jump to the C team from the very successful Juvenil A team last year. He scored a fair share of goals, but with the attacking talent in the Castilla team, he may have to bide his time. Might turn in to a strong player some day though, when he does finally make the jump to the Castilla team. Its not a slight against him or any of these players that they did not jump from Juvenil to Castilla (only a limited number can based on team needs), but I do believe he will make the jump to the Castilla next year.

Oscar Plano:

The chap on the left (and Morata is on the right) who was highly rated with the Juvenil A team last year, and although the official website has yet to list the cantera teams, I do believe he made it to the C team. He is a striker/winger, who is very very fast, and much like Sobrino, will have to be patient as the Castilla team has several wingers already. That being said, he was a name that popped up a lot when reading match reports from the Juvenil A team, so it leads me to believe he was a very influential player within the squad. Keep your eyes on his name for the future.

Kamal:

A central midfielder/attacking midfielder that has said his idol is Ruben de la Red. Much like Oscar Plano and Molero, I do not know if he was promoted to the C team or not, since he is a 92 generation, but I would assume so. Since the Castilla has a weak spot in the center of midfield, he may see some time towards the end of the season. I have heard this kid mentioned as a potential loanee to a Segunda B team, which at this stage in his career scares me, because usually players that leave the nest this early never come back (i.e.

Fran Sol:

Fresh off a new contract, signed until 2014, this player has been described as a ‘pearl’ of the academy. A “secondary” striker who operates much like a vintage Raul. He scores frequently and has been in consideration for the Spanish youth teams recently. He may not necessarily be called up for the Castilla team this season given the large amount of strikers that squad has already, but if say Rodrigo gets loaned out and Samu, Cristian or Joselu spends some time with the first team, he may get a couple of games for them. The 2011-2012 season he will be promoted for sure, so expect more from him then.

Moyano:

A strong center back who has taken over the captain’s armband for the C team (I think, no official announcement on that yet), he may be one of the only players who could get a fast track to the Castilla team

Molero:

I am not quite sure if he is a left or right back (anyone know???), but he featured in a majority of the Juvenil A team’s games and chipped in with a few goals to boot. I do not know much about him, but given that Nacho may be with the first team, or at the least the starter for the Castilla at right back, there is Casado (below) for left back and I would assume Molero as a back up at right back. Maybe he is a center back though?

Manuel Salinas:

A creative player in the center of the park, he may be drafted in to supplement the lack of numbers the Castilla team has there.

Casado:

With Marcos Alonso sold to Bolton, Casado will be backing up Nacho at left back, although with Nacho training with the first team, he may end up being the starter. Just purchased this offseason from Rayo, alot is expected of him.

So there you have it, the Castilla season preview. Please, please read all of it, I put a lot of work in to this and if I see comments about signing Maicon or Amauri I will delete them immediately. Discuss the Castilla team and the contents of this post, not the latest transfer gossip. It is incredibly disrespectful to the authors of these posts when only 5 of 60+ posts pertain to the article just posted. Lets have four or five days of no transfer rumors, no Mourinho copulation, just poignant discussion on the cantera players. Thank you. Enjoy the post, I will be back when Real Madrid plays Club America and the LA Galaxy as part of their American tour.

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