Real Madrid left back Marcelo suffered an injury against Real Betis. Here are three players who need to step up while he’s out of the lineup.
Although this hasn’t been a banner year for Marcelo, the Real Madrid legend received high praise for his bounce-back performance in El Clasico. He created so many chances for his teammates and shut down Arturo Vidal and others defensively, turning back the clock with an important performance at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Unfortunately, just as it seemed like Marcelo was turning a corner in form, the Brazilian defender suffered an injury in a 2-1 loss to Real Betis on Sunday. Marcelo has a hamstring injury and is expected to miss the upcoming games against Eibar and Manchester City.
While Ferland Mendy is the regular starting left back, Marcelo plays an important role in the squad. Here are three players who must step up with the experienced fullback out of the lineup.
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LB Ferland Mendy
Marcelo started against PSG in November and FC Barcelona earlier this month, as the club legend is Zindine Zidane’s preferred option in the biggest games.
Since Marcelo is not an option due to this hamstring injury, Ferland Mendy will certainly start at left back after sitting on the bench against both Barcelona and Betis.
Mendy has admittedly been the better overall player this season because of his incredible defensive work.
There may not be a better defensive left back in the world than him. Offensively, he’s also made strides, but he isn’t as creative or dynamic on the ball as Marcelo.
That said, Mendy has come close to scoring some gorgeous shots this season and has helped a lot in the build-up play. If he can step up in the attack, he could help Real Madrid score a couple of crucial goals at the Etihad next Tuesday.
LW Vinicius Junior
Marcelo and Vinicius Junior were quite the dynamic duo against Barcelona, completely owning the left flank on both ends of the pitch. We sometimes forget how good Vinicius has become defensively, as there are only a handful of better defensive wingers in La Liga. And yet, Vini is still able to consistently threaten defenses on the ball.
He’ll need to be at another level offensively without Marcelo supporting him in the build-up to plays. That will be especially true against Manchester City. Although Vini gave Kyle Walker a torrid time and even created a goal from nothing by pressing Walker into a mistake, his performance in the first leg will make Manchester City more likely to spend resources on suffocating Real’s catalyst.
Without Marcelo behind him, Vinicius will have to take ownership of the attack as the main creative influence on either flank.
CM Fede Valverde
Zinedine Zidane generally does not like to start Luka Modric and Toni Kroos together, and Madridistas saw why in the team’s 2-1 loss to Real Betis over the weekend. Neither player performed at a high level, whereas they’ve been enjoying successful seasons thus far.
Kroos didn’t start in the first leg against Manchester City, which was a mistake. After a big Clasico performance, Kroos will almost assuredly start in the second leg of the Champions League Round of 16, and Casemiro and Fede Valverde will round out Real’s ideal midfield trio.
Of the three of them, Valverde will be the one entrusted with transitioning from defense to attack and starting counterattacks. He has great technical ability, loads of pace, and an eye for the first pass. Marcelo is known around the world for being one of the best in the game at starting counters, and it’s up to Valverde to take up the challenge, especially next Tuesday.