Real Madrid: 5 players who must shine vs. Sociedad in the Copa

RW Lucas Vazquez

The tide is starting to turn when it comes to the discourse around Lucas Vazquez. Whether or not he should be a regular starter remains a valid point of discussion, but most fans are beginning to see that constantly hating on Vazquez and claiming that he’s “useless” is both unproductive and a falsehood.

Vazquez has his athletic deficiencies and can make some frustrating decisions on the ball, but he’s a competent crosser with a positive work rate who has a keen understanding of how Real Madrid play. He does a little bit of everything, and while he’s not particularly stellar at any one thing, he’s the kind of veteran player who can make a difference in a game like this.

The Spanish winger’s ability to help out Dani Carvajal defensively will be important to this game, and even just one pinpoint cross to the head of Benzema can make all the difference. He needs to be a strength on Thursday, especially with Mikel Oyarzabal staring him down on the opposite flank. A lung-busting performance will be required of Vazquez.

GK Alphonse Areola

Real Madrid’s cup keeper, Alphonse Areola has been solid in 2019-2020 and is a supportive teammate who is content with being a key backup to one of the world’s top goalkeepers in Thibaut Courtois. Areola will be tested a few times against Sociedad, and, like Courtois, he will need to show the concentration throughout a full 90 minutes to make sure Madrid don’t suddenly surrender a lead – or find themselves in an early hole.

Areola inspires confidence in front of goal, but the comparisons to Courtois are natural when playing behind such a talented keeper. Hopefully, the France international has a clean game and shows why he is one of the best goalkeepers in La Liga at distributing the ball. His confidence on the ball will be vital to success against Sociedad’s stellar press.