The Jovic thing begins to not have a pass. The Serbian striker was Real Madrid's 'nine' in their 2020-21 Champions League debut, against Shakhtar Donetsk at the Alfredo Di Stéfano stadium. Not one of the 'nines', but the only one, with Benzema on the bench. Jovic led the attack trident with Rodrygo and Asensio, in a show of confidence from Zidane for an important match, especially after last weekend's defeat against Cádiz (although, obviously, the Clásico on Saturday influenced the coach's decisions).
It is not an isolated occasion: Jovic is having many opportunities at this start of the course. He has started three of Madrid's six games so far, offering a poor performance, and above all, without contributing in attack: no goals, no assists. He participates little or nothing in Madrid's attacking game, a fee that Zidane already knows he must pay with the Serbian, but in return Madrid expects a return in the form of goals or, at least, shot opportunities that do not appear either.
In the two league duels he had played as a starter so far he had done so accompanied by Benzema, which could explain why the flow of white's game did not lead to him, but against Shakhtar he had the opportunity to be the white finisher of all actions and He barely left two shots, one between sticks, a soft header to Trubin's hands. And nothing more.
In the game, Jovic was an island: 13 passes, 11 of them good, in 59 minutes; Vinicius, who came in his place, gave only one less pass (12) in half an hour less time. And Benzema, in 45 minutes, made 20 trips, 17 of them good. The Frenchman, in the time he played, woke up Madrid and clarified his inner game, but he again sinned from a lack of edge: not a shot, neither out of sticks nor between them. Jovic entered four duels (he only won one), did not recover any balls and lost two.
Zidane, Jovic and Mayoral
After a first season very far from what Madrid expected of him (two goals and two assists in 806 minutes), After having paid Eintracht Frankfurt € 60 million for his signing, Jovic knows that this season he needs to show that he can play for Madrid. In fact, the white club weighed the option of giving it up so that it could be revalued elsewhere, in the face of a future sale, and stay with Mayoral, as the youth squad himself escaped during his presentation with Roma (given with a purchase option ).
Zidane was for the work of Jovic leaving and Mayoral staying, but finally the impossibility of finding accommodation for the Serbian away from Madrid weighed more. The French coach, as he did with James and Bale a year ago now, assumed his permanence and is giving him ball. But Jovic, for the moment, does not respond.