Real Madrid: Biggest injury risks going into the next season

As International tournaments are drawing to a close, the focus is now shifted to club football. The players who played in these tournaments will be getting rest for 3-4 weeks before they return. International tournaments’ impact on club performances is something you don’t need to describe to a Real Madrid fan, as the memories of the disastrous 2018/19 season are still afresh, as the players returned after a tiring World Cup 2018. Combine this with the horrors of last season, and here you have a big worrisome situation to be handled.

Real Madrid suffered a torrid 2020/21 campaign in terms of injuries. They had a total of a staggering 59 injuries last season.

Here we take a look at the biggest injury risks Real Madrid faces going into the next season.

Defense

With just three center-backs confirmed to be in the team next season, it makes this position incredibly shallow. Apparently, Real Madrid’s situation with defense is rather unfamiliar, given that the club has had the best of the defenders over the years.

As per the current state of affairs, only Nacho, Alaba, and Militao are confirmed players in this position. If any of these three limps off injured, that will put the team at tremendous risk.

After losing the best center-back in the world in the form of Ramos, and with uncertainties surrounding Varane’s future, this position is among the most worrisome going into the next season. Real Madrid’s reluctance to buy a replacement if Varane leaves further deepens the risk of a defensive crisis.

Along with central defense, the right-back position is also a cause for concern. Although Carvajal is one of the best in this position when fit, but his injuries have taken a toll on him for the past few years. Vazquez and Odriozola don’t provide as much defensive security and shouldn’t be considered reliable backups. This leaves us with just one dependable player in this position.

Midfield

As the majestic duo of Toni Kroos and Luka Modric are entering the twilight years of their career, their management needs to be done smartly. Zidane failed in this aspect and overplayed them. The accumulated fatigue was clearly visible in the tail end of the last campaign. The midfield was clearly the weak link in the semi-final against Chelsea, in which they were simply overrun by the likes of Kante and co.

Players like Odegaard, Ceballos, Valverde, and Blanco need to be given considerable minutes to avoid workload on Kroos, Modric, and Casemiro. This has the added benefit that these players will be able to develop smoothly.

Wingers

On paper, the wing position seems to be the most stacked one, with Eden Hazard, Vinicius, Bale, Rodrygo, Asensio, Vazquez all being capable of playing in this position. However, they failed to deliver last season, with most of the goal baggage carried solely by Benzema.

Hazard is having a physical decline and his last two years in Madrid have been nothing short of disastrous. He was injured for 252 days last season which resulted in a money loss of a huge £14.6 million in wages. His recent injury against Portugal in Euros further casts doubt on his availability for the start of next season. If Real Madrid is to achieve something remarkable, then Hazard has to be his prime self, glimpses of what was visible against Portugal before he limped off. Hazard has to ensure he returns to the club in good shape to avoid the repeat of last season when he returned overweight.

Gareth Bale, who will return from a loan, is another automatic inclusion in this list. His loan spell with Tottenham didn’t go as planned. Although he scored 16 goals and provided 4 assists, his injuries continued. Practically, Madridistas shouldn’t expect anything from Bale, but if he manages to stay fit for a considerable time, he can make an impact.

Carlo Ancelotti and the coaching staff have a big task at hand to limit injuries. Time management for players like Carvajal, Hazard, and Bale becomes very important. Overplaying them has a risk of them getting injured, which in turn creates more pressure on other players. The appointment of new training staff, led by Antonio Pintus, goes some way in giving us hopes for next season.