What’s the story?
Real Madrid’s Brazilian left-back, Marcelo, has become the newest addition to a seemingly ever-burgeoning injury list of Real Madrid. Whilst Gareth Bale, James Rodriguez, Dani Carvajal and Pepe are already among the first-team players who are yet to be available for the team.
Meanwhile, both Fabio Coentrao and Danilo are also suffering from niggles and were rested against Malaga. Against the Costa del Sol outfit, however, the Brazilian left-back suffered from what appears to be a hamstring problem, increasing the concerns the fans and the manager alike as it leaves Madrid heavily short in defence.
In case you didn’t know…
It seems as though the Blancos’ luck with injuries has been terrible. Despite the fact that many labelled Zinedine Zidane as lucky for being able to bail out of so many games despite not playing up to par, he has had no luck whatsoever when it comes to preventing injuries from his player.
Almost every player in the team has suffered from injury problems, be it goalkeeper Keylor Navas or star man Cristiano Ronaldo. And with the crunch part of the season coming very soon, things are just getting worse.
The heart of the matter
Marcelo becomes Madrid’s second first-choice full-back to get injured in the space of a week. Dani Carvajal was injured only a few days ago and is expected to be out for a month. Meanwhile, with Danilo out of form and Fabio Coentrao way behind in terms of match fitness, it will be difficult for Zidane to manage the team now.
What’s next?
As Danilo was suffering from a minor niggle, the French tactician opted to play with Lucas Vazquez as the right-back. However, when Marcelo had to be pulled out, Nacho occupied the left-back position and did a stunning job in the Brazilian’s stead. However, at right-back, Lucas Vazquez defensive abilities are questionable.
Sportskeeda’s take…
With Carvajal out injured and Nacho taking over the left side with Marcelo’s injury, it will be interesting to see who takes over the right flank. While Danilo seems like the viable option, his questionable performances of late, coupled with his refusal to acknowledge Zidane after being substituted against Celta Vigo, should make Zidane consider playing either Lucas Vazquez there or call up a Canterano to do the job.
