Real Madrid: 5 burning questions from a lethargic loss to Levante

Real Madrid could not get the job done at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano on Saturday afternoon, as they fell 2-1 to Levante, mirroring last season’s results of one win and one loss to the Frogs.

Although Levante are a good team with the likes of Roger Marti and Jose Luis Morales in the side – both men scored on Matchday 21 – Real Madrid’s loss is a sign that this club is playing well below the standards expected of a Royal White side.

Let’s ask five key questions following Real’s latest subpar result.

Can Mariano Diaz even carve out a backup role?

Real Madrid have two strikers in the squad after loaning Borja Mayoral to Roma in the summer and Luka Jovic to Eintracht Frankfurt in the winter: Karim Benzema and Mariano Diaz.

The former of the two players is Real’s leading scorer and assist provider for another year running, and he was instrumental in the 4-1 win over Deportivo Alaves last weekend. At the same time, he was shockingly absent against Levante, and Zinedine Zidane made a rare decision to sub him off in the 81st minute for Mariano.

What did Mariano do in his 15 minutes on the pitch? Absolutely nothing, mirroring his performance against Alcoyano a couple of weeks ago.

Aside from an early goal against Villarreal, Mariano has been a non-threat to defenses in the 2020-2021 season. Real Madrid have tried to get him to go to another team, but he is determined to make things work in Madrid. The problem is that he doesn’t appear to be at the standard necessary, and every precious minute wasted brings Marian one step closer to finally leaving the club.