Real Madrid: What’s up with Dani Carvajal?

Real Madrid had woeful performances across the board in their 3-0 loss to PSG on Wednesday, but one of the most concerning displays came from starting right back Dani Carvajal.

Casemiro, Sergio Ramos, and Karim Benzema are three veteran players whom Real Madrid are putting a great deal of trust in, and they, more or less, deliver on a consistent basis. Starting right back Dani Carvajal should be in the same boat, but the fixture at fullback has struggled for form, causing concern among Real’s fans.

Against Levante on Matchday 4, Carvajal was solid for most of the game. He defended relatively well and was incredibly involved in the attack. Nobody on the team had more touches than Carvajal, who set up Benzema’s first goal with an inch-perfect cross. That assist showed Carvajal’s work rate in attack, ability to deliver a quality final ball, and strength in one-on-one situations.

But Carvajal also made two awful mistakes defensively. The first was solved by an interception in the box from Marcelo, bu the second was punished by Levante when they headed a goal past Thibaut Courtois at the near post.

Carvajal’s lapses against Levante turned into a full-blown disaster against PSG. Angel Di Maria ran Carvajal ragged on Real Madrid’s right side, scoring a first-half brace. He consistently embarrassed the Spanish international, who joined Toni Kroos and Raphael Varane as Real’s two most disappointing outfield performers on Wednesday.

Per WhoScored.com, Carvajal had just one tackle and zero interceptions with five clearances and four fouls committed, including a yellow card. Those statistics paint the picture of a player who was overwhelmed, as even left back Juan Bernat put on a masterclass on PSG’s left flank against the once-composed Carvajal.

At 27, it’s hard to say that Carvajal is washed up, especially when there are times when he looks like the world-class right back he once was. But, as with the PSG game, there are also times where he looks like he’s simply not good enough to start for a club of Madrid’s prestige.

Alvaro Odriozola is Real Madrid’s lone backup at the right back position. Whereas Marcelo can be displaced by the steady Ferland Mendy if he struggles or needs a refresher, it’s unclear if Odriozola would be ready to play against top competition in the Champions League. Perhaps he could be an upgrade on Carvajal, but that might be a stretch at this point.

I find it understandable when Real fans moan at Lucas Vazquez’s inclusion in the starting lineup on the right side, but the interesting thing is that he helps Carvajal. Vazquez is the only “defensive” winger on the roster, because players like Gareth Bale, Vinicius Junior, and Eden Hazard are often ineffective tracking back. If there’s one thing Vazquez provides above the others, it’s competent defending for a winger and tireless running.

Since Real’s midfield is so thin that they often have no choice but to start Toni Kroos, the fullbacks are going to get exposed. As brilliant as Casemiro is, he can’t clean up every mess himself. In fact, Casemiro led all players on Wednesday with five tackles, yet that wasn’t nearly enough to help cover up Carvajal’s issues on the right. Kroos, as per usual, was slow defensively, and, at this point, he can’t even be blamed. This is who Kroos is as a midfielder, and putting him in the lineup yields this weakness that the manager must find ways to overcome.

Zinedine Zidane can have the utmost faith in Mendy’s ability to defend on the left, but after Carvajal’s poor display against PSG, the veteran right back must be called into question. He has the quality to turn it around, but he has also shown vulnerabilities with his pace and even awareness that will be exploited by intelligent attacking teams.

Carvajal has suddenly become a potential Achilles’ heel for Real, especially since their midfield personnel preclude them from offering enough cover for aggressive fullbacks like he and Marcelo. This leaves the center backs, especially Varane, exposed, and it is yet another problem for Zidane to solve.

It’s important to realize that Carvajal is a talented player who should still be starting for Real, but it is up to the manager to find a way to put him in a position where his strengths can be maximized without the player being exposed defensively. That evidently hasn’t happened in recent games, but with time, there should be optimism that a solution will be found.