Real Madrid at Manchester City: Marco Asensio can play an instrumental role in victory

The prince of the Bernabéu could possibly play an instrumental role in instigating a comeback for Real Madrid against Manchester City.

It was July 24, 2019. Zinedine Zidane was four months into his second stint with Real Madrid as they took on Arsenal in the International Champions Cup.

The 2018-19 season was a mare’s nest as two managers were sacked in eight months. Amidst all that chaos, Marco Asensio was undergoing an arc of his own, having sparked controversy with bold statements.

"“I don’t see it as a crisis, it is not for me to lead from the front, there are other players that have been at the club for longer, they are more experienced, have a higher status and it is down to them.”"

Asensio openly acknowledged the above on a TV show ‘Vamos’ (quoted by Diario AS) during the international break in November 2018. Following these comments, he received backlash, to the extent that it didn’t even go down well with a section of fans.

His season, much like Real Madrid’s, was forgettable, and the worst since making his debut in 2016 with a pile-driver into the top left corner against Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup.

Zidane arrived in March 2019, and so did an obvious manifestation with him. Eden Hazard was signed from Chelsea, meaning that the right wing would be Asensio’s to take. Asensio was heavily used by Zizou during his first stint with the club, and he stole the limelight, emerging as one of the best young players in the world. Even whispers of a potential future Ballon d’Or could be heard in the footballing fraternity.

More from The Real Champs

• Manchester City hold talks over Real Madrid target
• Real Madrid player confirms he is playing with a fracture
• Real Madrid superstar rejected Premier League clubs confirmed
• Spaniard ready to join Real Madrid instead of Liverpool
• PSG want €100 million Real Madrid player to replace Kylian Mbappe

However, as unlucky as he could ever have been, Asensio ruptured his ligament against Arsenal and was ruled out for almost the entirety of the 2019-20 season.

Making his unforeseen return to the pitch against Valencia on June 19, 2020, the footballing gods looked down on him and blessed him to make one of the most sensational comebacks from a long injury layoff. He scored within 31 seconds of his introduction from the bench and went on to help his team add two more en route helping the team to their 34th league title.

What awaits now is probably a tie that could set him on a career revival path. Not that his career is walking a tightrope – he is just 24 – but he lost an entire season to injury, and that could harm his overall ceiling.

The game that I am talking about is the second leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 against Manchester City.

Real opened the scoring in the first leg through Isco’s goal, but Manchester City, with all their ruthlessness, capitalized on the two lapses in concentration by the Real defence and scored two very crucial away goals.

Marco Asensio was recovering from his injury and was unavailable for the match in February. Now, though, he is hungry for success and wants to contribute in the best way possible to overturn the first-leg deficit at the Etihad Stadium.

The training match conducted by Zidane could be an indication of what to expect from the highly unpredictable brain of Mister Zidane. Asensio featured alongside Eden Hazard and Karim Benzema in the training match, while Toni Kroos, Casemiro, and Luka Modrić played in the midfield.

These players are the players who are regular fixtures in any Zidane line-up, and if one has to make a judgment solely based on the training match, Marco Asensio is set to start on the right wing to solve the conundrum and help Real progress.

There is no question about his quality. He makes things happen with the ball. He glides past defenders like a sports bike would freewheel past a sedan. With Benjamin Mendy set to miss the second leg due to suspension, Oleksandr Zinchenko will be expected to deputize at the left-back slot.

Given Asensio’s verve, he will give a tough time to Zinchenko on that right side. His link-up play with Dani Carvajal is well-established and the underlaps and overlaps could provide a gateway to unlocking City’s patchy defence with ease.

If the ten games Asensio featured in after the break are anything to go by, he would be heavily expected to score a goal. This would be his Champions League debut (in a way) and Asensio is the king of debuts (if you know what I mean).

A healthy Marco Asensio provides a plethora of problems for the opposition. Combine it with his steely determination and a desire to be the lynchpin of Real Madrid’s attack, and you get a player who is going to be a nightmare for any defence in the world.