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Major injury crises, underperforming stars, shock losses, zero January signings and a number of other factors have come together to jeopardize Real Madrid’s hopes of retaining the La Liga title.
Sandwiched between league leaders Atletico – who are showing no signs of slowing down – and arch rivals Barcelona snapping at their heels, Real Madrid’s many woes have left head coach Zinedine Zidane on the very brink. As the season approaches a crescendo, the time to step up is now.
And while a club’s struggles have birthed many a superstar, Zidane – who has always favored experience over raw talent – finds himself in the unenviable position of being forced to get experimental even when the situation calls for anything but chance. But despite their struggles and depleted squad, Madrid are still Los Blancos and continue to boast of enough of players in their ranks who either deserve a shot at turning things around or are talented enough to start over again someplace else.
The next few months will tell if these players or indeed their manager survive the inevitable cull, but until then let’s take a look at 5 players who don’t get enough time at Real Madrid.
#5 Victor Chust
Chust had a rough baptism of fire in the form of Madrid’s shock Spanish Cup loss to Third Division side Alcoyano last month, but still showed plenty of promise.
The youngster has been with the club since the age of 8 and has already caught the eye of Zidane, who named him in his Champions League squad. Chust possesses bags of potential and played a key part in helping the youth team become UEFA Youth League champions last season.
Real Madrid’s official website describes Chust as "powerful and aggressive" with the ability to play the ball out of defense, which is exactly the kind of defender Madrid will need when Sergio Ramos inevitably moves on. Having made his league debut in the recent game against Getafe, Chust will be hungry to prove that he has the mettle to succeed at the very top. And with an array of injuries in Real Madrid’s defensive department, the youngster’s chance must come sooner rather than later.
#4 Eder Militao
Another player who doesn’t get enough time at Real Madrid but absolutely needs it in order to fulfill his massive potential is Eder Militao.
While it’s true that the Brazilian hasn’t been the picture of consistency at Madrid, for whom he signed in 2019 after a magnificent season at Porto where he earned himself a place in the Team of the Year, his talent is still there for all to see. Currently out injured, Militao has been constantly overlooked in favor of the experienced Nacho as Raphael Varane’s partner at the heart of defense.
He faces an upward task to prove that he is the man to eventually replace skipper Sergio Ramos, however, Militao possesses a steely resolve and the fact that he opted to stay and fight for his place instead of pushing for a loan move says a lot about his character. The 23-year-old could very well become the leader Real Madrid clearly hoped he would be, but for that he needs time.
#3 Vinicius Jr
It still seems like yesterday when Real Madrid announced the signing of this outrageously talented Brazilian, who, after making enough waves in his homeland, earned the title of "the next Neymar" and was on his way to one of Europe’s biggest clubs at the tender age of 18.
Fast forward to nearly three whole years later, the jury is still very much out on Vinicius, and although the Brazilian is still just 20 he’s yet to fully settle under Zidane, who is said to have sidelined him after he caught the youngster texting during a team talk. There have been flashes of brilliance from Vinicius, including runs that have left defenders for dead, but he’s still to replicate the form he displayed under Santiago Solari – which was undoubtedly the best of his career – for Zidane.
With Vinicius’ best position still in doubt (he was even moved to right-wing back in the recent game against Getafe), it’s clear that he needs more time at Madrid to hit the gear that he hit under Solari. Only time will tell if that’ll be with Zidane or another manager. The youngster seemed to link up well with Benzema, who accused the Brazilian of ‘playing against his teammates’ in a furious rant captured by mics during the Champions League tie against Borussia Monchengladbach back in October.
With Hazard a shadow of the player he was at Chelsea, it could very well be Vinicius who makes the left spot his own, provided he’s given enough time.
#2 Mariano Diaz
Mariano’s situation is a bit of a tricky one. After spending a good part of his youth in Real Madrid's youth system where he put on some scintillating displays, the striker was finally promoted to the first team by Zidane during the 2016/17 season following a back injury to Karim Benzema.
However, he was limited to just 8 first team appearances before being sold to Lyon the following season. Now, in his second stint with Los Blancos, the writing is pretty much on the wall for Mariano. The 27-year-old clearly isn’t destined to be the first choice for Madrid, and a striker of his caliber deserves to be playing every week. The lack of game time is clearly telling on Mariano’s form, with the striker netting a paltry six goals since his return to Madrid back in 2018.
With Zidane heavily favoring Benzema and the Haaland/Mbappe links refusing to die down, Mariano needs to think long and hard about his future. The striker has plenty left in the tank and as he approaches his peak years, he’ll want to spend most of it off the bench. If he doesn’t get enough time at Real Madrid as their season winds to a close, then a move away would suit everyone. Not that there is a shortage of suitors.
#1 Isco
One can’t have a list of players who don’t get enough time at Real Madrid without the inclusion of Isco.
The rate at which his stock has fallen is incredible. After arriving in Madrid amidst much fanfare back in 2013, having won the prestigious Golden Boy award a year earlier, Isco truly hit the ground running and helped the club win its fabled La Decima in his first season.
With three more Champions League titles, two La Liga triumphs and four Club World Cups victories later, Isco is now at a crossroads in his career. The midfielder is miles away from the scintillating 2016-2017 form that placed him as one of the finest players in his position, and with Zidane preferring Castilla graduate Sergio Arribas, Isco’s Los Blancos career certainly looks to be in its twilight stages even though some of his quality remains if the 2019/20 season is anything to go by.
Now is the time for him to justify his place at the club. With a place in Luis Enrique’s Euro 2020 squad looking extremely unlikely, Isco will need to pick up the pieces quickly in order to break into the national team once again in the future. Isco still has admirers in the form of Carlo Ancelotti and Julen Lopetegui, so if he continues to be deprived of game time at Madrid, a link up with one of his former managers would be in his best interests.
