Real Madrid at Mallorca 5 storylines: Will Casemiro get some rest?

Will Casemiro get some rest?

Casemiro might be Real Madrid’s most important player. The Brazilian is having another phenomenal season, and he is the team’s only true defensive midfielder. Fede Valverde’s emergence will take pressure off of Casemiro, but not even the promising Uruguayan can come close to matching Casemiro’s ability to read the game in the middle of the park.

My colleague Nithanth Ravindran wrote that Casemiro needs to get a day of rest against Mallorca, and I agree with him. While he is coming off of the international break, Casemiro has played so many minutes that Real might be playing with fire if they don’t bench him. He’s been a workhorse at a vital position in Zinedine Zidane’s midfield, and losing Casemiro weeks before El Clasico would be a disaster.

And it would be an even bigger disaster than usual, since Real are, once again, dealing with injuries to veteran midfielders. Just as soon as he was getting into his groove, Luka Modric suffered a potentially significant injury late in Croatia’s 1-1 Euro qualifying match against Wales. And Toni Kroos was injured on Matchday 8 against Granada, so he is no guarantee to face Barcelona on Oct. 26 either.

Kroos has been one of La Liga’s best players this season and Modric is the Ballon d’Or holder, but Casemiro is even more important to Real’s success than both of them. Real shouldn’t take Mallorca lightly, but they need to keep their eyes on the prize, prioritizing Casemiro’s health in the process.