What does Neymar’s injury mean for Real Madrid?
By Ben Sundock
News came out earlier this week that Paris Saint-Germain star, Neymar Jr., will be out for the Champions League round of 16, second leg clash with Real Madrid this Tuesday. What does that mean for Los Blancos and for the Parisians?
You never want to see a world-class player such as Neymar go down with a serious injury. Despite my disdain for Lionel Messi, I would never wish a serious injury upon the crafty little man. It just isn’t right.
The same can be said in this case. The most expensive player in the world suffered a serious ankle injury Sunday against Marseille which saw the medical staff and stretcher crew come on to the field to assist him.
While initial reports after the injury were optimistic that it was nothing more than a minor sprain, the story has taken a turn for the worst as it now appears that Neymar could be out for several months.
That is not the end of the devastating news for the Brazilian and PSG fans as it is also being reported that the forward will return to Brazil this week to undergo surgery to repair the damaged right foot.
According to ESPN.com, Neymar not only has a severely sprained ankle but also a cracked metatarsal which will require additional attention from doctors.
Neymar will have surgery this weekend and is expected to miss three months. He faces a race to the World Cup pic.twitter.com/nKKQWH0LLr
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 1, 2018
So, with all the background information out of the way, let’s take a closer look at what the injury means to Real Madrid in this crucial match on Tuesday.
Why Neymar being out is a good thing for Madrid
When one of the best wingers in the world is not on the field, you have to thank your lucky stars. Real Madrid dealt with Neymar nicely in the first leg but the Brazilian has been wonderful in the friendly confines of the Parc de Princes all season.
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At home, Neymar has scored two goals or more five times and has provided at least one assist in nine matches. His gaudy numbers can be accredited to his phenomenal play with the PSG fans singing his name.
Despite receiving a high match rating from Whoscored.com in the first leg match in Madrid, the Real Madrid defense was stout holding the winger in check for the majority of the night.
He didn’t have an assist or goal, not to mention just two total shots in 90 minutes. And it’s not like the defense locked him down completely either. Neymar had 86 touches, third-most of any player in the match.
So, Real will not have to worry about the pace and creativity of Neymar for this match, which is of course, a good thing. However, his absence could lead to other problems many fans might not have predicted.
Why Neymar being out is a bad thing for Madrid
That’s right. The return of this guy: Angel Di Maria.
The former Real Madrid star has had a tough time seeing regular minutes in Paris since the arrival of the younger Neymar, but, the Argentine has not lost his scoring touch since leaving the Spanish capital in the summer of 2014.
The 30-year-old has started 17 league matches, appearing in 21 total, and four appearances in the Champions League as well. In the time he has played in the league (1,427 minutes) he has scored a stunning seven goals, added five assists, and has received man of the match honors twice.
In the first match without Neymar in the lineup, yesterday against Marseille, Angel started on the left wing and scored a brace on the way to a PSG 3-0 win again.
Whatsmore, Di Maria has the inside knowledge from playing with Real Madrid from 2010 until 2014. While the manager and players may have changed over the almost four years since he left, there are still several players on the current team who played with him.
Funny enough, all four of the defenders who should start in the second leg – Dani Carvajal, Raphael Varane, Sergio Ramos, and Marcelo – were all on that 2013/2014 team that won the Champions League in Angel’s last year in Spain.
Conclusion
While Neymar’s injury may give Real Madrid a slight advantage in the second leg, you never want a team to be down a star player for a huge match like this.
Even manager Zinedine Zidane didn’t want to see the winger miss the match saying a few days ago, “I don’t like players getting hurt. I’m not happy about Neymar’s injury. I hope he can play against us. In the end, players need to play. I’m never going to wish for a player to be absent because of an injury.”
Next: Real Madrid injury update – Marcelo, Modric, Kroos
Real Madrid may have the upper hand in terms of personnel in the match Tuesday, but PSG will have the home field advantage.
It should be a very fun match to watch.