Exploring Real Madrid’s Injury Plagued Season Start

Real Madrid is currently in the midst of a crisis. With most of the midfield favorites injured or fatigued, Zinedine Zidane hasn’t been able to find suitable replacements. After four straight draws, it’s time to see what exactly has gone wrong for Los Blancos.

Back in August, If anyone would’ve told me that Real Madrid would have a scarcity of players, especially in the midfield, I would’ve probably laughed at them. We all thought it was going to be the complete opposite scenario. Real Madrid looked like they had too many players. They had too many forwards, too many defenders, but most of all, too many midfielders.

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The whole issue with the transfer ban almost seemed laughable with the amount of players we had. Why would a transfer ban be a serious threat when you had both James Rodriguez and Isco Alarcon benched? Many youth players had recently been promoted to the first team. Lucas Vasquez was the revelation of last season, and Asensio had a great pre-season.

Alvaro Morata was finally home, and in the best form of his life. Gareth Bale took on the burden of carrying the team offensively, and was succeeding to such a degree that he was finally fully accepted by the Madrid fans. Many people went as far as to say that Cristiano Ronaldo was no longer the best forward on the team (something that many fans believe to this day.)

But here we are, seven matches into the season and in the midst of the worse string of player injuries in recent memory. Five current injuries to important first-team players have taken a toll on the team. Karim Benzema still isn’t close to being back to his regular form after his injury and Toni Kroos is exhausted after 5 intense matches in two weeks with no one available to cover for him. Let’s take a look at some of the most important injuries of this season:

Casemiro

Casemiro’s injury was without a doubt one of the biggest blows to Zinedine Zidane’s gameplan this season. The Brazilian defensive midfielder was one of the most important players last season, and started this season with impressive numbers.

Up to his injury, he had the most successful tackles of any player, including defenders. His ability to hold players in the midfield gave the Real Madrid’s back-line much needed relief, while also allowing the other two midfielders on the team to move up to help attacking play.

With multiple fractures to his fibula shaft, he’s not expected to return until early 2017.

Luka Modric

It’s hard to believe that there was a time when people doubted that Modric could contribute anything to the team. Back when he signed with Real Madrid, many thought the croatian was a poor fit for the team. Unfairly judged because of his stature and thin profile, he didn’t really break through until his second season.

Defensively responsible, positionally aware, two-footed, and one of the most intelligent players on the pitch, he can play anywhere through the midfield and still run the game. His absence has been severely felt, and there’s no one who can adequately replace him. Kovacic is the closest thing to a replacement, but lacks the precision and tactical awareness that makes Modric so indispensable.

Modric recently had arthroscopic surgery in his left knee for the removal of a patellar chondral fragment of post-traumatic origin. In layman’s terms: he had knee surgery because of a cartilage problems. He’s currently in the rehabilitation process.

Marcelo

To say Marcelo is an important part of the Real Madrid is an understatement. The Brazilian has been vital to the attacking play of Los Blancos. He ended the pre-season as the top goalscorer for Los Blancos, which shows how great he is upfront. He’s also a great defender when needed. His pace allows him to make it back to his own half in no time, and his slide tackles are rarely ever inefficient. Above all that, he’s a great leader on the pitch. He’s the third captain on the squad, in a team filled with strong personalities.

His absence has certainly been felt. Had he been present in the match vs Eibar, things might’ve gone differently. Having him running up the left flank and providing Ronaldo with crosses and through balls has been a staple of Real Madrid’s attacking play, and his defending could’ve dampened Pedro Leon’s attacking play, which was Danilo’s biggest downfall that match.

There is an upside though: Marcelo should be returning after the international break.