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"Two wings on one body": Diomande from the substitutes' bench to a personal battle with Yamal

Half of Real Madrid's dribbles were made by one man

Real Madrid's clash with Elche saw one of the most exciting elements in the royal club's front line truly emerge. Making his second start in a Merengue shirt after the Rayo Vallecano match, Yann Diomandé did more than deliver a tactical display built on skill and pace. He offered everything that proves he has "two faces in a single fabric": a playmaker who links the lines with finesse on the right wing, and a sharp, decisive striker when he switches to the left.

Spanish newspaper "AS" praised Diomandé's showing, saying that "the approach of the Portuguese coach José Mourinho in dealing with the young talent's abilities can be understood under the label of gradual progress and patience, but there is a world of difference between coaching patience and tactical laxity".

The paper added that Diomandé has vast room for growth, but alongside that sits an explosion of latent ability that has already begun to surface. Madrid, it confirmed, possess a gem that sparkles on the green rectangle.

His performance at the "Martínez Valero" stadium came very close to a complete tactical thesis on how to exploit spaces according to position. It brought back that familiar tune that follows him at the Santiago Bernabéu: "murmurs of doubt when he drops back, and warm applause the moment he attempts a dribble".

ZUMA Press Wire
A tactical shift on the touchlines
What stood out most against Elche was the player's ability to adapt to the tactical shifts during the match.
Diomande started on the right wing, a role where he lacked his usual flair for vertical penetration. He made up for it with deeper crosses and balanced play, bending his qualities to the demands of the right flank without the slightest difficulty to serve the team.
The real transformation came in the 68th minute. Off went Vinicius Junior, and Diomande shifted to the left wing, his natural home.
There, his sharpest and most dangerous version emerged. He received the ball, took defenders on one-on-one, then cut inside to strike with his strong foot in far more decisive fashion.
This flank belongs in theory to the Brazilian Vinicius. Even so, Diomande sent Mourinho a clear message: he can cover the gap and settle matches with a direct, lethal style.

ZUMA Press Wire
Numbers that reflect the all-round impact
The numbers back up what the eye could see. Diomande topped Real Madrid's chart for chances created, level with Kylian Mbappe and Arda Guler.
He ranked third for passes into the final third with 12, and third again for crosses delivered, just one behind Trent Alexander-Arnold and Guler, the men on set-piece duty.
His impact went well beyond the attacking third. Diomande won more balls than any other Madrid player and made the most successful defensive interventions.
That work proved decisive. It helped Arnold contain the threat of Elche's wingers and unpick a system built on the advancing full-back. Once again, Diomande showed himself to be a modern forward with the appetite for defensive sacrifice and total tactical commitment.
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Gem of the dribbles: outshining Lamine Yamal
Dribbling remains the jewel in the crown of Diomande's game, the true gem of his current form.
The newspaper "AS" report that he completed 7 of his 9 attempted dribbles against Elche. That figure alone matched half of Real Madrid's total across the full 90 minutes, which came to 14.
Stranger still, the two big names failed to register a single successful dribble between them. Mbappe tried three times, Vinicius once, and both came up short. That left Diomande to shoulder the entire burden of individual penetration on his own.
None of this was accident or coincidence. It reflects a stunning cumulative rate in the Spanish league, one that puts him ahead of the field.
In a Real Madrid shirt, Diomande averages 5.20 successful dribbles per 90 minutes. That crowns him La Liga's most prolific dribbler, clearly clear of Barcelona's brilliant Lamine Yamal on 4.30, and ahead of Malaga's Boga and Sevilla's Ejuke, both level on 4.00.

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Battle for the starting line-up and the headache of the "beloved" Mourinho
Diomande has featured in just 256 of the 630 minutes the team have played this season, a share of 40%.
Here's what stands out: 63% of those minutes came in the last two matches alone. He played 72 minutes against Rayo Vallecano and 89 against Elche, and those two evenings sum up his actual season so far.
The signs point to a place on the bench for the eagerly awaited derby against Atletico Madrid at the Metropolitano, given the level Arda Guler is currently producing. Yet Diomande's recent explosion has lit the fuse in the club's corridors.
"AS" concluded its report by saying that this fierce battle among the young jewels to secure a place in the starting line-up, despite the harshness of Mourinho's choices, is a "blessed dilemma" that any coach in the world would wish to face.