Real Madrid wing-back Marcelo left the game limping with just minutes remaining, here’s what to make of the situation and what it could mean for the big match that lays ahead.
Real Madrid has secured themselves a win, a long overdue win at that. They hosted Czech Republic side Viktoria Plzen on Matchday 3 of the 2018-19 Champions League campaign. They got off to a quick start scoring just 11 minutes into the match from Karim Benzema. Hopefully, this means the striker is returning to form and becomes more reliable.
FT: @realmadrid 2-1 @fcviktoria_en
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) October 23, 2018
⚽ @Benzema 11', @MarceloM12 55'; Hrosovsky 78'#RMUCL | #Emirates pic.twitter.com/4lsiQLc8eJ
Unfortunately, this win seems to have come at a cost. Losing players to injury is never a good situation to be in, especially if it’s one of the players your team relies heavily upon. There’s no doubt that Madrid is dependent on Marcelo’s playing and technical ability.
A poor challenge on the touchline just near the bench saw Marcelo go down awkwardly. The tackle had him shaken up a bit but he got back up and continued on to play. Concern wasn’t that high until he went down to the ground looking up at the night sky in despair. Medical staff rushed on to the pitch and helped him make his way to the benches.
The look in his eyes has many doubtful about his participation in the Clasico this weekend. What has fans even more puzzled about is everything that happened after the tackle.
The incident took place very close to manager Julen Lopetegui who could clearly see the discomfort in his eyes. At that point, Mariano Diaz was warming up to come on for goalscorer Karim Benzema. This would be Real’s third and final substitution, would it not have been wiser to take the necessary precautions and swap Marcelo for another defender?
At that point in time, Plzen was still just one goal away from tying the match, not an ideal situation for any team, especially the reigning champions. Viktoria was also creating chances in the last 15 minutes of the match, making it quite a dicey affair.
Lopetegui’s decision making will surely come into questioning once again, and deservedly so. Either the man loves to play with fire, or the pressure is clouding his judgment.
Marcelo will likely be assessed by the medical staff tomorrow and will undergo an array of tests. Having already missed three weeks to a leg muscle injury this would be a far from ideal situation for Madrid as well as the Brazilian. Hopefully, it’s nothing too serious and he can rejoin the squad quickly.