According to the "Match Time" program, Borja Jimenez analyzed the characteristics of Real Madrid's new signing, Jan Diomande, on the show.
Borja Jimenez, the former Leganés coach who once managed Diomande and is now coaching Al Ahli in Qatar, recently gave a detailed analysis of the style of Real Madrid's new signing on the "Sunday Roundtable" program.
He believes Diomande will generate a lot of discussion in La Liga. Jimenez specifically mentioned that the Ivorian's most outstanding characteristic is his ability to dribble with both feet, "When you see him with the ball, you can't tell if he's using his right foot or left," a very rare quality in modern football. Jimenez also stated that Diomande will bring Real Madrid "a very strong ability to penetrate deep into the defense, as well as a lot of one-on-one breakthroughs." He believes that "many people don't know this player, they've only seen highlights, but I think he will surprise many people with his courage."
Although Diomande primarily played on the left wing at Leganés, Jimenez confirmed he can also perfectly adapt to the right, where he has already performed at a high level for both Leipzig and the national team. Jimenez also mentioned a match where he performed brilliantly against Bayern Munich in a cup competition. Speaking about Diomande's most distinctive dribbling style, Jimenez said, "He has the ability to stop the ball completely, then wait for the opponent to press, and from that moment on, he starts his feint." He added, "It's very, very rare." Jimenez also recalled the first time he saw Diomande in training with Leganés B team. "After 15 to 20 minutes of training, he had already shown it… I didn't understand why this player was in the B team." He admitted that the player's level was so high that he had to be substituted "to avoid any accidents" and to prevent him from being injured by an opponent's tackle. In just 20 minutes, Diomande had already scored a goal, and "he could break through every defender," even the experienced first-team players like Rosier or Altimila couldn't stop him.
For Jimenez, this experience proved Diomande's adaptability: he "could get past Leverkusen players in Germany, and he could get past Incapie in the World Cup." When discussing Real Madrid's midfield configuration, Jimenez believes, "All good teams are good because they have excellent midfielders." He stated that after Kroos' departure, "Real Madrid did lack something in their game," but he predicts that this season the team may focus more on transition attacks, while the importance of midfielders will relatively decrease.
Finally, Borja Jimenez spoke about his new phase in Qatar. He said the goal of this challenge is to step out of his "comfort zone." He revealed that the opportunity comes on June 28, and his debut opponent is Al Sadd. Al Sadd is the team that has won the league title nine times in the past 10 seasons, which gives him a "very high start."
