One of the hardest parts of a manager's job is piecing together a squad and a lineup that gets the best out of the players. When Real Madrid appointed Alberto Toril as manager midseason, it was clear that something wasn't right during Madrid's first half of the season. Since Toril's arrival, Madrid have won 8 of 9 league games. However, despite the good run of form, the games themselves make it seem as if Madrid could be getting more out of the very talented squad at their disposal. Toril favors a 4-2-3-1 formation in possession which can be a difficult fit for the variety of attacking talent that Madrid has. Nothing epitomizes this more than how Maite Oroz has been deployed. In this post I'll discuss Maite's strengths, the different roles she has played this season, and why she should be in Madrid's best XI.
When assessing players it can be easy to pigeonhole them into positions. For example, if a player is in the 9 role, a lot of how they are viewed is how well they execute the duties the 9 position. However, players can have skills and abilities that are fluid and can be used in different scenarios. In regards to Maite, she is often deployed in an attacking midfield role. But her contributions and skill set is not confined to that position. Maite is at her best when she has numbers around her to connect with and provide an outlet to. If she can find herself in those situations within the team setup, it doesn't necessarily matter where she plays. In a 4-2-3-1, these situations are most likely to happen in the midfield. Against Sevilla, Maite played in the center of the 3 behind the center forward, effectively a 10 role. She was fantastic; her movement between lines allowed her teammates to find her and her decision making was on point. This can be seen in the clip below.
Video taken from Real Madrid Twitch.
Maite also has great technical ability to be press resistant. This gives her time to wait for the play to develop and make the best decision. She did this well against Madrid CFF.
Video taken from ata Football.
When she came on as a substitute in the game against Real Betis, she took Kaci's position. Kaci usually plays deeper in the double pivot with Claudia Zornoza. But, as I mentioned before, in Madrid's 4-2-3-1 shape, the midfielders are more likely to find themselves surrounded by numbers. So when Maite came on, she was an instant impact with the little things that she does so well like break a wave of pressure in her own penalty box by finding a teammate, and providing an option to her center back and quickly advancing it to her left back higher up.
Video taken from ata Football.
With everything that Maite brings to the table, Toril's approach to Madrid's game against Athletic was perplexing. He lined up in his favored 4-2-3-1, but Maite was put on the right side of the 3. This meant that she was on the fringe of play throughout the game as can be seen below.
In the second half, she would switch positions with right back Kenti Robles in order to get on the ball. But, the areas where she did get on the ball were not conducive to her having an impact.
Forwards Kosovare Asllani and Esther Gonzales took turns checking into the midfield in order to provide an option and create a numerical advantage in the center. In the frame below Esther checked in the midfield and Maite is uninvolved.
Are these the players that Real Madrid want in this situation; is Esther a better option for that role than Maite? It would be hard to believe if the answer is yes. What makes it more confusing is that Teresa, who comes on as a substitute for Maite, was put in a midfield role and Esther was moved out wide where Maite was. Maite had little to no influence during this game, but it's hard to blame her.
For me, Madrid's best XI has Maite in it. The club obviously sees that as they just extended her contract to 2025. Toril most likely believes that as well, and that's why he tried to fit her into the lineup in an awkward position. However, I don't think that they should just play her in a position that better fits her skillset, I think they should build the lineup around her. Her ability to play quickly, make herself available between lines, and create numerical advantages is unmatched by any other player in the squad. Madrid play their best when she is used correctly, and it's time to capitalize on it.
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