After a strong start to life as a Real Madrid player, Dean Huijsen has come under scrutiny due to some of his recent performances.
The 20-year-old centre-back was poor against Liverpool and once again struggled vs Rayo Vallecano, leading to him being substituted at half-time. Not to forget, he had a disappointing game against Atletico Madrid not long ago.
As such, it has already been reported that Huijsen has been asked to improve some aspects of his game by the Real Madrid staff.
Total confidence remains
At the same time, though, despite his dip in form, Real Madrid and manager Xabi Alonso retain full confidence in the young defender, reports AS.
Indeed, despite the errors in Liverpool and against Rayo Vallecano, both of which earned him yellow cards, there is no concern within the club. The Spanish international continues to enjoy the full confidence of Real Madrid.
Among other reasons, aside from being seen as a “centre-back for the next decade”, this trust stems from his overall positive performances, occasional mistakes notwithstanding.
Dean Huijsen of Real Madrid
Real Madrid are calm with Huijsen. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Statistics show that Huijsen is performing well defensively. He has won only one fewer aerial duel than Eder Militao (34 to 33) and has made just two fewer clearances (Militao 33, Huijsen 31).
Some of Huijsen’s difficulties come from his assigned role as the centre-back instructed to take risks higher up the pitch.
For that reason, he has recovered far more balls in the opposition half (43) than Militao (26). His anticipation is another strength, as reflected in his higher interception count (61 compared to 54 for Militao).
Offensively, Huijsen’s contribution remains highly valuable. He often functions almost like a midfielder. He is the player in the squad who completes the most passes into the final third and also produces the highest number of successful progressive passes.
So, even though there have been some occasional errors, Alonso’s confidence in Huijsen is absolute, and the club’s support is just as strong.