Real Madrid: Expectations after Fede Valverde’s, Rodrygo Goes’ return

Rodrygo’s return rejuvenates the right-wing of Real Madrid

Before his injury, Rodryo was a starter for RealMadrid. He started as a leftwinger in the games against Eibar and Granada, the game in which he injured his hamstring, and he looked impressive. He could play on both the wings, but he looked relatively comfortable on the left. But considering the presence of Hazard and Vinicius, it makes it difficult for him to book the left-wing spot.

His injury meant Real Madrid had an option less on both the wings and since Lucas Vazquez had to cover for the injured Dani Carvajal, the only right-winger available was Marco Asensio. Asensio has been very disappointing, to say the least, and Zidane was forced to start the Spaniard due to the lesser number of options.

But Rodrygo’s return gives a huge breath of relief for Zinedine Zidane, and his fantastic performance against Real Sociedad as a substitute, playing from the right, is enough for Zidane to make Rodrygo the starter (which shows how disappointing Asensio has been).

Rodrygo brought a sense of directness from the right flank, and he looked like a goalscoring threat, something which Real Madrid have missed all season. He took on players with pace, combined with his teammates to breakthrough the low-block, and he looked physically stronger, compared to his version before his injury. I expected him to be a bit rusty after such a lengthy layoff, but he looked very sharp and he had shown intent on the pitch.

It is to be seen if Rodrygo is given the green signal to start the Atletico game. It is to be seen if Real Madrid thinks it’s the right decision or if they might be rushing him back into the scheme of things. But they will definitely focus on making him ready for the big game against Atalanta, in a tie that isn’t over yet.

We can expect him to be the club’s first-choice right-winger in the coming weeks, as Isco and Vinicius are already there to compete for the leftwing. Before yesterday’s game, I didn’t want to have a lot of expectations on Rodrygo whos returning after a long time, but his performance against Sociedad was enough to make me excited for the near future, and maybe it wouldn’t be unfair to expect something from a player who had shown a lot of desire.