Real Madrid are possibly going to be without two of their most important players – David Alaba and Casemiro – for the clash against Manchester City. They are included in the squad list, but it is unlikely that they actually play, unless they show massive improvement in their physical state in the next two days.
Be that as it may, Real Madrid would have to prepare for the clash either way, and there are a few players in the team that will have to step up their game so that the loss of Alaba and Casemiro is not felt as much These players will have to come up big time if there is any chance of Real Madrid winning this game.
Let’s get started.
Nacho Fernandez
This was kind of obvious, but it’s still worth mentioning. Nacho Fernandez had a period of continued excellence when he had to start the big games for Real Madrid last season, when both Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane picked up injuries. Nacho and Militao were excellent, and if there is any time where Nacho needs to reignite that form, it’s now.
Nacho, simply put, hasn’t been as good as he usually is this season. He makes really weird gambles and leaves wide gaps in the defense, and that, sometimes, is what makes Real Madrid’s defense fall apart. There is a huge reason why Real need a third choice centre-back, and it is that Nacho simply cannot be anything greater than fourth choice from next season. It’s pretty clear.
He can be very reliable, of course. But as of late, he’s been a bit more clumsy than usual, which is why we need a huge game from the Spaniard. Just enough so that Alaba’s absence isn’t felt. Nacho needs to execute a perfect game, because this is, by far, the toughest match for Real Madrid so far this season.
Toni Kroos
I think it’s fair to say that there has been a lot of criticism on Toni Kroos that he just doesn’t deserve. But, even then, his performances have gone down a little, and he will need to be at his best against Manchester City on Tuesday.
As we all are well aware by now, Kroos is not a defensive midfielder. But what I expect from him depends on what type of game Ancelotti wants Real Madrid to play. If Real are going to press Manchester City, then he should be playing as a deep-lying playmaker behind Camavinga (or Fede) and Modric.
If Real Madrid’s goal is to sit back and soak up pressure to hit City on the counter, Kroos can go anywhere, but I’d prefer he plays as a central midfielder. His usual role, but without being asked to chase shadows. This guy just does not have the legs for that, and Ancelotti needs to make sure that if Kroos is to feature against Manchester City, it must be in the role he’s good at.
If Ancelotti uses him as an outlet to get out of City’s press, that would be really, really good. Not doing that enough is what made Real Madrid lose the game in 2020, and Kroos would have to be more attentive to that because he won’t have Alaba to help him out with press resistance.
But, Kroos would have to tighten up some screws if Casemiro won’t be there. He’ll have to defend more, because his Brazilian partner wouldn’t be there to clean up the mess. The German maestro has shown that he is capable of making some defensive plays, but Ancelotti playing him as a presser just wouldn’t work.
We’ve seen multiple instances of him failing miserably in that role, and it’s better if he’s not asked to press. I don’t think Real should press against Manchester City, either, because the team they’re facing is probably the best when it comes to getting out of the press, and considering how bad Real’s pressing can be, it’s not worth it to ask the players to do that.
One more thing about Kroos, by the way, is that Ancelotti needs to make sure to sub him off sometime in the second half, because the energy shift from Kroos to a Camavinga or a Fede in the dying stages of the game is incredibly important, and it’ll be very useful against a Manchester City side that will keep a lot of possession.
Fede Valverde or Eduardo Camavinga
This one’s a bit trickier to concoct. We don’t know who the right-winger is going to be for Real Madrid. If it is Fede Valverde, then Eduardo Camavinga would start as a midfielder. If it is Rodrygo, then we might see Fede as a defensive midfielder, or at least, in a midfield-three.
Whoever it is, they’ll have to up their game by a lot. If it is Camavinga starting there, then he needs to make sure that he isn’t rash with his decision making off the ball, and keeps a steady check of everything going around him so that he doesn’t leave a lot of space.
It’s actually worth considering that, in my opinion, there is more debate about who is going to start as the eight between Camavinga and Kroos than there is between Valverde and Kroos. Or, at least, there should be. Valverde can work as a CDM as long as there is enough support from the other midfielders. Valverde in general, I feel, is the kind of player that would play well at any position, especially in big games. But, Camavinga’s best position is when he plays as an eight.
Again, most of it depends on what Ancelotti wants Real Madrid to do, but I hope that whoever it is out of these two midfield prodigies, they perform well, because Real need every bit of help in defense that they can get.
I’d play Fede Valverde as a makeshift right-winger and ask him to drop deep and back while defending, around the right halfspace. Camavinga would then be able to play in the midfield, and if the plan is to press high, then he can play as an eight, but if they are to sit back, then he’d be fine playing as a six. Rodrygo, in that case, could be brought on in the second half to provide the team with some fresh legs in the attack.
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It’s a very intriguing and, frankly, gut-wrenching contest I really don’t have any expectations from. One of the few things going for Real Madrid is their will and mentality to win every single game, and if our players can somehow allow that to make themselves transcend everyone else on the pitch, it’ll be huge to decide the tie. Either way, these three or four players that I mentioned above would have to transcend anyway, because if not, then the tie is over before it even begins.