Real Madrid: 5 burning questions from loss to Manchester City

Can Real Madrid win big games without Sergio Ramos?

Sergio Ramos missed the Manchester City second leg due to a suspension, as he was red-carded in the first leg. Real have only won once in their last eight Champions League games without Ramos, with that lone win coming against one of the competition’s weakest sides in FC Schalke 04.

Basically, Real are cooked in big matches without their Captain, whose leadership, defensive work, technical quality, and even goal-scoring ability make him indispensable. After all, the No. 4 stepped up so much en route to Real’s 34th La Liga. title.

Raphael Varane and the rest of the defense crumbled without Ramos, constantly making errors. Only two of the most egregious errors were punished, but Varane, Thibaut Courtois, Casemiro, and others could not play out of the back or even get in good positions without Ramos directing things.

Ramos is still going strong at the age of 34, but he won’t be around forever. And there may be other key games he has to miss due to suspension or even injury. Real Madrid need someone to step up at the back as a leader in his place, and that player may just need to be Varane. If not him, then who?