Real Madrid left back Marcelo will miss the final four games of the 2019-2020 La Liga season.
It has been a tough season for Real Madrid on the injury front, but with a four-point lead heading into Friday night’s home game against Deportivo Alaves, they should be able to slog their way to a championship title under Zinedine Zidane despite the challenges they’ve faced.
The latest significant injury is to experienced left back Marcelo. Real Madrid have officially announced that Marcelo has a left adductor injury, with Managing Madrid writing that the 32-year-old will be done for the remainder of the season.
Marcelo isn’t a full-time starter due to new signing Ferland Mendy’s emergence as one of the best left backs in world football, but he has played significant minutes, especially since La Liga’s return during a condensed schedule.
And he’s played well, too, adding a lot of talent to the attack. After all, Los Blancos would have dropped points to Athletic Bilbao last weekend if it weren’t for Marcelo drawing the decisive penalty.
Hopefully he can heal up fully and be ready for the 2020-2021 season. Until then, here are three players who must step up to the plate with Marcelo out, as his injury hurts their precarious fullback depth.
LB Ferland Mendy
Let’s start with the obvious, and that’s left back Ferland Mendy, who will receive nearly as much playing time as Dani Carvajal on the other side of the formation. Carvajal has become of paramount importance to Real since Alvaro Odriozola was loaned to Bayern Munich, as he’s the lone right back in the squad.
Now, Mendy is also the lone fullback on his side, so he’ll have that same importance. Both Carvajal and Mendy have been world-class this season, and they’ve been a key part of one of the best defenses in Europe.
It’s so impressive how good Mendy is defensively. Opponents can scarcely run at the former Lyong star. Per WhoScored.com, Mendy has been dribbled against just 0.2 times per game this season, making him one of the most effective defensive fullbacks in Europe’s top five leagues.
A calm tackler and great reader of the game to stop passes in their tracks, Mendy also works hard in the attack to take on defenders and move the ball up the pitch. He’ll need to really step up on the offensive end without Marcelo, because that’s one area in which Marcelo has been significantly better. That said, look no further than Mendy’s game-winning assist in El Derbi to see what he can do at his best on the attacking end.
RW Lucas Vazquez
Why would a right winger need to step up when a left back goes down? Well, Lucas Vazquez isn’t just any right winger. He’s the jack of all trades and an important player to Real Madrid because of his versatility. Vazquez plays since Zinedine Zidane trusts him to work tirelessly in defense, and he’s not a bad crosser of the ball. His intelligent forward runs clear space for others, which could be nice at right back.
Ferland Mendy played at right back the last time Carvajal was subbed off as a precaution, but with Marcelo out, there is no doubt that Vazquez is the top backup right back to Carvajal, who will miss Friday’s match vs. Alaves after being suspended for a yellow card at Athletic Blibao.
Therefore, Vazquez must be up to the task both in this game and in any future games in the remaining three fixtures after Alaves. Or even in the second leg against Manchester City, pending what happens with Marcelo’s adductor by then.
Vazquez is a player Madridistas can sometimes be frustrated with, but most fans appreciate what he brings to the table. And that appreciation becomes clear during times like this when a position in the squad is stretched thin for depth.
LW Eden Hazard
Judging by his performances in 2019-2020 with Marcelo on the pitch, Eden Hazard seems to play at another level when the Brazilian left back is starting. Look no further than what Hazard did in his first game in La Liga’s return against Eibar, dominating play. Marcelo scored in that match, and Hazard had a breakaway assist for captain Sergio Ramos.
Without Marcelo, Hazard needs to step up creatively. Marcelo does such a wonderful job of not only getting into the box and wreaking havoc with his dribbling, but putting the ball into the box with precise crosses or incisive layoffs.
Hazard and Ferland Mendy have shown good chemistry, but the difference is that Marcelo has that extra sense of where to put the ball in the attacking third that comes with being a world-class 32-year-old who is among the best players at the position in history.
So Hazard, in an attacking sense, has to step up, too. He has his own injury questions to keep answering, and fans were disappointed with his last outing against Espanyol. Hazard can change the narrative again with a strong close to the 2019-2020 season.
Remember, the superstar Belgian is averaging 3.4 dribbles completed per game and 3.1 fouls drawn per game. He is by far the team’s most dynamic player, but that has still only translated to the fifth-most key passes per game, fewer than Marcelo.