Real Madrid: 5 burning questions from loss to Manchester City

Real Madrid suffered a humiliating defeat to tumble out of the Champions League Round of 16.

Los Blancos were optimistic they could turn the tide in the second leg without captain Sergio Ramos, but they were disappointed in the end. Real Madrid lost 2-1, but they may have well lost by far more than that.

Raphael Varane’s two mistakes were the biggest story of the evening, and they were heartbreaking moments from a player who had otherwise been arguably the best center back in the world in 2020. Nobody expected him, Thibaut Courtois, Luka Modric, or Casemiro to play as poorly as they did at Manchester City.

Real can bounce back from this and be stronger than ever in 2020-2021, but, for now, Madridistas must head into the summer transfer window with at least a tinge of disappointment. Watching the rest of the Champions League season won’t be easy, that’s for sure.

Here are five burning questions from the match, with a focus on how things move forward for both Zinedine Zidane and the champions of La Liga.

How healthy is Eden Hazard?

In the immediate aftermath of the loss, that is the question reverberating in my head. Eden Hazard did not look confident in this match, making a minimal impact for Real Madrid. He should have been second to only Kevin de Bruyne as the best player on the pitch, but he was a footnote in comparison to his influential Belgian teammate.

Hazard, if he wasn’t at 100 percent, should not have started. And based on his recent play, fans have to be worried about just how much his ankle could bother him for the rest of his Madrid career. We must stand by Hazard and support him, but the main thing he needs is good health.