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Rotating is suffering. That's what arithmetic tells Zidane now, who once made an art of distributing minutes among his players. A large part of his three Championships respond to that ability to bring the best fresh to the moment of truth and to keep the morale of the troops high by using it almost completely. Now, after a summer of sales and a fall of injuries, Unit B has been left to the bone. The match against Huesca, the prelude to the final against Inter, invites the rotation, but the bench is not that of the past (follow the game live on As.com).
In the 2017-2018 season, the last of Zidane's first stage, Isco was the third player in the squad with the most games (49) and played 2,957 minutes. Last year it was just over half (1,618). In this he walks by 147. In the 2016-2017 academic year, also with Zidane, Lucas Vázquez ended up playing 50 games and Nacho 39. They were enlightened substitutes, like Morata (43 games and 20 goals). Last season they stayed at 29 and 10. Jovic, whom Zidane has lined up in half the games, has scored a goal in all of 2020, the same as Rodrygo, to whom I fleetingly sent to Castilla in February to keep him active. With Marcelo as the starter, Madrid lost eight league games in the second era Zidane and none when he did not come out or started on the bench. Militao has only played 8% of the minutes of this League Y Mariano, who enters a list for the first time, only 84 in the entire last season; the last, on July 2. It is now a phantom bib. The last experiences with alternative players have been traumatic: consecutive defeats against Cádiz and Shakhtar.
Hazard or Vinicius
The question is whether the French will continue to insist on series B. For the clash, served to Chinese taste (2:00 p.m.), he does not recover any of his injured (Carvajal, Odriozola, Nacho and Odegaard) and there are already footballers who do it. They have played everything (Courtois and Varane) or almost everything (Benzema, Casemiro…). So tinkering is expected and the return of Hazard, who now needs activity to catch up, at a home game. He mixes well with Benzema, but maybe not the time to sit Vinicius down after the Borussiagate, matter that Zidane grabbed yesterday with his left handby far the most skillful. He didn't even bother to deny it. He put peace and obviated that since the conversation between Benzema and Mendy the first did not send a pass to Vinicius. Isco, another who was caught making a suit for Zidane, Militao and Marcelo have the possibility of reversing their downward trend today. And Modric will start after chaining two substitutions.
A Huesca without victories
The Huesca also arrives demanded. It is one of the two LaLiga teams that have not won yet (the other is Valladolid) and for the first time Step onto the relegation zone after five draws and two defeats. His problem, like almost everyone's, is the goal, because he has more claims than points: he attacks more away than at home and on his visits only Real Sociedad or Madrid add more shots. He is also among the best in possession, passing success and set pieces. That's what Michel has turned him into, who was able to go up to Rayo and two years later to Huesca with an ambitious, dominant football. Both finished champions in the silver category.
It has thirteen new players. Some, cLike Sandro or Doumbia, signed on the horn, and now he intends to give stability to a team that went to Second two years ago with the same ease that it rose. Up to 23 additions between summer and winter added that year without apparent result.
Rafa Mir, who was a very promising U21, repeats this season and has scored in the last two games. Nine points since January he scored last season. Huesca, whose axis (Mosquera-Seoane) was educated in Valdebebas, must live off his success and Sandro's rehabilitation. Okazaki, Pedro López and Mikel Rico will be missing, but he sees a sliver of hope. The same one that Cádiz and Shakhtar sneaked through.