Real Madrid: 3 players who need to step-up in the absence of Eden Hazard
Marco Asensio
“Why should we buy Hazard, when he have Marco?”, were the words of a senior board member in 2017, according to MARCA.
This was the level of trust the board had in Asensio. But he has yet to live up to the expectations. Those long-rangers brought some hype, but his inconsistency didn’t let him become the star he was touted to become. He scored just one league goal in the season after that, when everyone expected him to step up after Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure. He’s 25 now, and this is the age where everyone expects a player to take up more responsibility. This is the right time for Asensio to take that responsibility.
Marco Asensio has been at the club since 2016, but Zidane hasn’t been able to figure out his best position yet. While he wanted Asensio to be a right winger, Asensio has been highly inconsistent on the right, and just scored one goal from the 900+ minutes he has played as an RW. But when Hazard wasn’t available, there have been instances where Asensio was used as an LW, ahead of right-footed players like Rodrygo and Vinicius.
He has been one-dimensional on the left, and most of the time, his contributions have been either a cross or a backpass. But he looked more active on the left compared to the right, and Zidane tried to redeem Asensio by playing him in a position where he can play better. Considering how much Zidane trusts Asensio, it wouldn’t be surprising if Zidane chooses Asensio on the left. But this time he has to step up and further disappointment will only raise question marks on his future at Real Madrid.
He has to take more shots and have an eye for the goal every time. He has to prove that long shots aren’t his only strengths and he can score the regular goals you expect from an attack-minded winger. He should focus more on doing something productive with the ball at his feet and be decisive, instead of ball hogging and back-passing the ball after keeping the ball for a long time.
This is his opportunity to prove his worth and save his career. if not now, he should expect to be the second choice in the future.