Pepe went off injured against Atletico Madrid, and has broken two of his ribs. He’s likely out for the season, putting Real Madrid in an injury crisis. How might this affect Madrid’s season moving forward? Alex McVey takes a look.
After scoring to put Real Madrid ahead in Saturday’s Madrid Derby against cross-town rivals Atlético Madrid, Pepe collided into Toni Kroos, forcing him to come off the pitch injured.
X-Rays carried out after the match determined that Pepe has broken two ribs, and will likely be out for the rest of the season. With Raphael Varane already out for up to a month, Pepe’s injury could not have come at a worse time.
OFFICIAL: Real Madrid confirm Pepe fractured his 7th and 8th left ribs after a clash vs. Atletico. pic.twitter.com/BRBJAIoSBt
— Squawka Live (@Squawka_Live) April 8, 2017
It’s safe to say that Real Madrid are in the midst of a defensive crisis. Real Madrid will have to rely on Nacho and Sergio Ramos being able to play two games a week for the rest of the month, with two of those matches coming against Bayern and one against FC Barcelona.
Despite being one of Madrid’s stand-out players this season, Nacho has not been his very best the past two matches. He was out of place for goals in both the match against Leganes, and for Griezmann’s goal in the Derby.
Adding to Zidane’s woes is the center-backs’ suspension risk. As Marca reports, if Sergio Ramos gets a yellow card in the first leg against Bayern, he will be suspended for the second leg, and if Nacho gets a yellow card this weekend against Sporting Gijón, he will be suspended for El Clásico.
Real Madrid would be in huge trouble if this happened. With Pepe and Varane both out, Madrid is simply out of center-backs from the first team to sub in.
Madrid is simply out of center-backs from the first team to sub in.
Zidane would probably be forced to play Casemiro at center-back, an experiment that failed miserably against Celta Vigo in January, leading to Madrid’s early dismissal from the Copa Del Rey.
A lot of people have been asking about who the makeshift 5th choice CB is. To be clear, this player doesn't actually exist.
— Kiyan Sobhani (@KiyanSo) April 9, 2017
Fingers crossed that Nacho and Ramos can stay healthy and well-disciplined for just a bit longer, until Madrid’s month from hell has passed.