Real Madrid will be lacking depth at striker against Manchester City
By Ben Sundock
Real Madrid has been lacking depth behind striker Karim Benzema all season and they will be once again in the Champions League round of 16 on August 7th.
This has been a season to forget for Mariano Diaz. After Real Madrid bought the player back from Olympique Lyonnais in the fall of 2018, he has played second-fiddle to Benzema.
He featured in 13 La Liga matches last season and totaled 447 minutes on the pitch. This season, the addition of Luka Jovic and several long stints on the sideline due to injuries have seen Mariano’s role reduced even further. He played just 45 minutes in five appearances and did not start in any of the 38 league matches.
Now, while Mariano wasn’t expected to feature against Manchester City in the Champions League in just over a week, the news that he tested positive for COVID-19 upon returning from a week of vacation is troublesome.
Real Madrid released a statement filling fans in on the situation.
"“After the COVID-19 tests carried out yesterday on our first team footballers by the Real Madrid Medical Services, our player Mariano, tested positive. The player is in perfect health and is complying with the protocol of isolation at home.”"
The club was very cautious and had players tested individually at their homes before they were allowed to return to the Ciudad de Real Madrid for training that got back underway this afternoon.
Mariano shared a message on his social media accounts after the news broke that should give fans encouragement.
“Thanks for all your messages of support,” he said. “I feel perfectly fine, thanks to God. My family and those close to me are also good. For now, I am quarantining at home. I hope to return to normality soon and to be with my teammates and the team again soon.”
Manager Zinedine Zidane was never going to start or even bring Mariano off the bench, but this means the pressure is higher than before for both Benzema and Jovic.
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It has been an exhausting season for Real Madrid’s number nine and he hopefully will feel fully rested and ready to score when he steps foot in the Etihad Stadium in 10 days.
If – and it’s a big if – Jovic comes off the bench in the second half, Madridistas will be hyper-critical of every touch and step the striker takes. A slow start to life in Spain and some off-field troubles have caused fans angst all year and nothing would soothe that disdain like a huge goal in a must-win match.
Mariano scored a great goal just 30 seconds after coming on as a sub in El Clasico to close down the match, but he will not be getting that opportunity here because of the positive test.
Wishing Mariano a speedy recovery and good health!