Real Madrid: 4 takeaways from announced squad against Leganes

Vazquez in, Vinicius out

Real Madrid fans have been itching to see more of Rodrygo and will be pleased to see his name on the squad sheet, especially after his important performance against Galatasaray in his Champions League debut.

But Real fans also want to see other young players, such as Brahim Diaz and Vinicius Junior getting their chances. Diaz has been used sparingly this season, having recently fought back from an injury. Real reportedly wanted to loan him out, but the Spanish international opted to stay at the Bernabeu, choosing, like so many others have, to show Zinedine Zidane that he deserves playing time.

Sadly, Diaz won’t get his opportunity at even a cameo appearance against lowly Leganes. The same can be said for Vinicius Junior, who is the team’s top backup left winger to Eden Hazard. Vinicius has been solid again this season, but he was likely left out of the lineup in order to accommodate more midfielders.

Another player to watch out for is Luka Jovic. Don’t expect him to start, but it would be surprising if he didn’t make an appearance for Karim Benzema, assuming Real have a healthy lead, in the final 20 minutes. It hasn’t been an ideal season for Jovic, but whenever he does get subbed in, Zidane needs to give him more than just five minutes to get his feet wet.

The less I say about the decision to put Lucas Vazquez over Vinicius and Brahim (but especially over Vinicius!), the better. I don’t understand Zidane’s infatuation with Vazquez when he doesn’t do anything better than the other options.