Luka Jovic
Luka Jovic hasn’t had the most incredible time at Real Madrid. The Serbian has often found himself at the center of criticism and has rarely done enough to convince the club that he was once the player that took the Bundesliga by storm during the 2018/19 season.
While he is not entirely to blame for his misfortunes, mainly because Karim Benzema has been ever-so crucial for Real Madrid, Jovic deserves more opportunities and could certainly benefit from more playing time.
Jovic has promise but is a player that lacks confidence partly due to the fact he hasn’t been playing much. There’s no question he can be crucial for Real Madrid, but he just hasn’t been given a fair chance to prove himself.
When called upon against Real Sociedad in December, Jovic delivered with a goal and an assist and looked sharp, confident, and determined. It’s a rarity to mention those qualities for Jovic as his time at Real Madrid would tell you otherwise, but his performance against Sociedad proved he has those qualities in him.
Moreover, when Jovic received the opportunity to feature in back-to-back matches against Sociedad and Inter in December, he delivered and showed glimpses of what he can do if given a significant run in the lineup.
Carlo Ancelotti would be facing a dilemma of trying to incorporate both Jovic and Benzema in the setup, and it would somewhat be a sacrifice to change the current structure of the 4-3-3. Still, it could be a shot worth taking.
As noted with Eduardo Camavinga, granting him more appearances in the form of the Copa del Rey or against teams lower in the La Liga table would be a perfect way for the Serbian international to gain more minutes.
It’s clear that Jovic isn’t a guaranteed starter at Real Madrid because there are simply better players ahead of him in the pecking order. Still, he undoubtedly deserves much better than featuring in 10-minute cameos as a substitute in every match.
The ball is in Ancelotti’s corner when it comes to giving opportunities to players who deserve it, but the three players mentioned in this piece are a shoo-in and deserve the chance. Let’s hope 2022 is the year for them.