Real Madrid: Grading every fullback from the 2020-2021 season
RB Alvaro Odriozola
The last player to break down is Alvaro Odriozola. While he has yet to come close to match the price Real Madrid paid for him from Real Sociedad, the 25-year-old defender did show signs of improvement in the final games of the season.
Once an afterthought for Zinedine Zidane and not at all trusted by the manager nor the fans, Odriozola became a useful player down the stretch of the title race. I always like to say that fans should take special notice of which players truly step up their intensity during the most important matches at the end of the season, because these are the players who want to go the distance for the club. Odriozola did just that.
It’s super important for players on the bubble to show this kind of effort, because it can make the difference between them getting another chance and eventually succeeding or simply fizzling out altogether. Odri’s recent performances show that there is still hope for him, and he even grabbed a heads-up goal off an Eden Hazard cutback to give Real breathing space against Granada.
A pacy player with great crosses to the back post, Odriozola has the tools, but he just needs to improve his consistency. And it is sometimes frustrating to see his decision-making defensively, as he’ll lose his marker in ways that are even more inexcusable than Lucas Vazquez, who is not a right back by trade!
Next. 5 burning questions for Real Madrid after the season's end. dark
Odriozola had a couple of poor performances this season, but he played well in the final five matches of the season. He has honestly done enough to earn one more chance at Real Madrid, but I still cannot call his season an above-average one. There were major issues with his play for much of the campaign.
Rating: 5.5