Categories: Football

Alaba’s First Great Exam

Sunday is the first big exam for David Alaba, to justify his signing in a summer where one of the most important figures of the club such as Sergio Ramos has left, as well as the departure of Raphael Varane. Another player who has also had a special role in all the successes of the last decade.

It is a day when the Austrian international, accompanied by Militao, must make clear the illusions that the club has placed in this 29-year-old footballer.

Initially it seemed that it was going to be the only signing of the summer before the arrival of Camavinga and after the operation failed for Kilian Mbappé. This Saturday will be his first big test against Fútbol Club Barcelona and where he will have to face off with Ansu Fati or Memphis Depay. Not an easy company considering the moment of form of the Dutch and the Spanish.

Untouchable for Ancelotti

In his first two months wearing the Real Madrid shirt, he has already become unquestionable for Carlo Ancelotti. Either in the central position as well as when he has had to use it on the right side. Add a total of 630 minutes in these first nine league games. This means that he has been the undisputed starter in all of them except for the match against Celta on the fourth day where he could not play it due to muscle problems.

The six remaining games, given that the match against Athletic is postponed, he played the 90 minutes. It is indisputable for Carlo Ancelotti. The same happens in the Champions League where he has also started against Inter, Sheriff and Shakhtar Donest. And where he has also played the ninety minutes.

He was in the 2-8 quarter of the 2019-20

In addition, this will be the fourth time that the Austrian international faces Fútbol Club Barcelona in his professional career. The previous three were always with the Bayern Munich shirt and the three also ended in victory. The first two in the semifinal tie of the 2012-2013 between the two teams. The last, and which is part of one of the saddest pages of Fútbol Club Barcelona, in the quarter-final win of the 2019-2020 season when the Barça team was overwhelmed 8-2 by the Bavarians.

There are two other precedents in the semifinals of the 2014-2015 season but that Alaba could not contest due to being injured with a torn ligament in his knee.