With the arrival of Zinedine Zidane as the head coach of Real Madrid, it brought with it a turn away from the ‘Galactico’ signings with a view to buying and nurturing younger talents.
An ageing squad at the Bernabeu in combination with city rivals Atletico making waves with their youthful talents and title rivals Barcelona spending big bucks on French wonderkids, Real were not left with much choice but to join the teenage crusade.
However, this has not stopped some Castilla talents slipping through the net and leaving in search of first-team minutes.
One fine example is that of 23-year-old Mario Hermoso.
The Spaniard, since leaving and aiding in an Espanyol revolution, has been linked with Bayern Munich, Arsenal, and, rather ironically, former club Real Madrid.
Joining Real Madrid’s youth setup in 2005, at the age of just 10, Mario Hermoso was nurtured and developed through the age groups, impressing at each level.
Making his way into the C-side, his development accelerated, and a year later, a loan move to Real Valladolid allowed the Spaniard first-team experience in a senior team.
He played 31 league fixtures for the then Segunda Division side before returning to play another year in the division, but for Real’s Castilla side.
It was after this final year with Madrid that the decision was made that Hermoso’s time at Los Blancos would not continue.
Signing a 3-year deal with Espanyol in Barcelona would be a challenge for the youngster, but one which he would relish.
After just the first two fixtures of the 2017/18 season, Hermoso made his debut.
A trial by fire against Barcelona in the Catalan derby was the test, and Espanyol fell to a 5-goal deficit.
These games can be described as make-or-break fixtures, especially on your debut, but the Catalan underdogs kept faith in their new prodigy, and Hermoso went on to play 22 times in his debut season in La Liga.
A quiet, arguably underwhelming beginning to life in the Primera Division, so what makes this Madrid-born castaway turned Catalan defensive fulcrum so desirable now?
A ‘stonker’ of a start to 2018/19 so far, that’s what.
This season, his combination of confident, well-timed challenges, along with a broad and accurate range of passing abilities, has made Hermoso a noticeable threat both offensively and defensively from a deep position on the field.
Over the last couple of years, the idea of ‘ball-playing’ defenders has been an attractive prospect for many sides around Europe, particularly in Spain.
Typically, the confidence to connect the centre-halves to the pivot midfielders accurately has been a trademark passing link to begin attacks.
Hermoso though, is different.
Don’t get me wrong, his short passing is still a very strong attribute in his arsenal, leading to more than 87% pass accuracy; however, it is his long passing that has caught not only the eye of many La Liga fans but also that of the Spanish national team.
Below, you can see the typical space that Hermoso occupies, he will see the run of a winger on the opposing flank and due to his 53% long passing accuracy, he will regularly pick out the perfect ‘ping’ of a cross-field pass to accelerate Espanyol’s attacking wing play.
It is this synergy between his young confidence and passing accuracy that has earned him his first call-up to the Spanish national team.
The new dynamic of a more versatile passing defensive force, in contrast to the presence of players like Sergio Ramos and the recently retired Gerard Piqué, has been in desperate need in the years since Spain’s last international triumph.
In addition to this, there has been an explosion in talented youth players who are best deployed in wide attacking positions, such as Marco Asensio and Suso, with Mikel Oyarzabal and Carlos Soler also showing huge potential.
To bring through a central defender who can accurately orchestrate attacks with precise cross-field passes would be invaluable.
And Hermoso did not disappoint on his international debut.
For example, receiving the ball from Jose Gaya here, Hermoso immediately and instinctively looks up to see the run of Suso on the right wing.
The image above shows the placement of Bosnian attacking players looking to suffocate the space.
However, Hermoso is a special player, as evidenced by his natural confidence in attacking the Bosnian forwards, forcing them to drop back and allowing him the space to execute his trademark attacking pass to Suso.
Suso takes Hermoso’s accurate ball, and as shown in the above image, the pass allows the player to take the ball in stride, thereby maintaining the velocity of the attack.
It takes more than long passes, though, to become an astute and successful defender.
Without sounding too patronising, it is, of course, the art of defending in its purist sense that even in the 2018/19 season still resonates with match-going fans.
There is nothing quite like seeing your player make a gritty attempt for the ball and successfully steal back possession.
Hermoso’s outgoing self-confidence in his long-passing matches that of his defending.
As with many young talents eager to impress, especially defenders, you will see them step forward from the back line to recover possession, and with Hermoso, this is certainly the case.
The difference is that, while this may still indicate a lack of experience, with an average of seven interceptions and 13 duels attempted per match, coming out victorious in just under half, there are certainly signs of potential success.
The above heatmap shows where Hermoso steps forward in an attempt to win possession for his team, as indicated by the darker red extension stretching to just behind the halfway line.
A trait that both fellow international teammates, Gerard Piqué and Sergio Ramos, share.
However, it is the nature of his tackling, as shown in the images below, which presents the real class and potential of the Spaniard.
The patience and timing of his tackles are carried out similarly to those of a seasoned La Liga defender.
Not only does he win the ball, but his instinctual counter-attacking intuition means he does not linger in possession, instead looking to start an offensive play when the opportunity presents itself.
Hermoso’s full-back-like pace also allows brilliant cover for Espanyol’s left-back players when caught out of position.
As shown above, in the match vs Huesca, Hermoso reacts to the on-rushing winger and makes a challenge to kill the attack and reset the Catalan side’s structure.
The timing of his tackles has also improved with every game; the approach and jockeying of a player patiently has shown to increase the accuracy and precision of his timed challenges for his club side.
Showing the player wide onto his stronger left foot before making the challenge and then pushing forward.
This prevalent display of experience is rare for a player of his age, but as mentioned, he consistently shows these characteristics in each game.
However, upon making his step up to the national team, there were signs that he would need to show more discipline; on several occasions, the debutant rushed into challenges on Bosnian attackers before getting turned.
This will not have gone unnoticed, and if he wishes to return to the international setup, these moments of blood rush must be controlled.
Hermoso is a player who should be garnering the attention of the likes of Bayern and Arsenal, as well as getting the Real Madrid officials wondering why on Earth they let this young starlet leave.
I dislike comparing players to finished articles, as players are unique in their own right, and it, of course, provides added pressure to succeed and even eclipse those previous comparisons.
Hermoso will continue to improve at Espanyol and help them to achieve what could be a return to European competition for the first time since their UEFA Cup final appearance in 2007.
Expect, though, for this young Madridista to graduate Catalunya with a hefty price tag…unless Real Madrid come grovelling back to activate another pitiful buy-out clause, of course.
