MADRID, 23 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The injuries of Brazilian forward Vinícius Júnior and French midfielder Eduardo Camavinga during the international break have left a Real Madrid side even more ‘touched’ with many first team players in the infirmary, a setback that will force coach Carlo Ancelotti to look for solutions in the board giving minutes to less common players and even using the reserve team to complete calls and be able to rotate better in a team that is somewhat short by the end of the year.
A ‘FIFA virus’ that has affected LaLiga harshly in this last window – in addition to the long-term injuries of Courtois and Militao – and that calls into question a calendar loaded with a high accumulation of matches, with three international breaks in just three months. In the case of the merengue club, it is the midfield that will suffer the most after Camavinga’s recent injury in training with France.
The French all-rounder tore the external lateral ligament in his right knee after a chance collision with PSG player Ousmane Dembélé during a session at the French team’s training camp. An injury that could keep him off the playing fields for the next two months, with the Spanish Super Cup from January 10 to 14, 2024 at risk.
His loss is more than a small disappointment in the squad, given the versatility and versatility of Camavinga, who says goodbye to 2023 at a time when the Real Madrid midfielder is in the picture and where he had many opportunities to grow and show his level in his position, midfielder.
And another of the starters there, Aurelien Tchouameni, was injured in the Classic at the end of October and will not return until January, although it seems that Ancelotti will be able to have the Englishman Jude Bellingham at his disposal, with a shoulder injury and who could reappear this weekend, and Dani Ceballos, who has returned to training after a muscle injury to his quadriceps and who has a good opportunity to contribute as he did at the beginning of 2023.
While Arda Güler remains immersed in a set-up that is delayed more than expected, the Italian coach will have to trust the ‘old guard’ formed by Toni Kroos, Luka Modric and Fede Valverde, the only ‘pure’ midfielders along with Bellingham who They are healthy, but none of them are specialists in playing as a center.
And that will be the puzzle of the Italian coach: how to organize those pieces so that the team does not lose balance. Kroos has already played more than one game as a ‘5’, although it is not his favorite position due to physicality and the defensive discipline and attention that prevent greater brilliance in attack; so it seems unlikely that the German ‘8’ will be the only anchor.
Thus, the double pivot option takes shape alongside Valverde, more dynamic and powerful, but who for this weekend arrives with the extra fatigue of being with his team and playing everything against Argentina and Bolivia. The help of the Uruguayan, known for his solidarity and commitment both in attack and defense, would be key to preventing the Madrid team from breaking down, at the end of the year in which he has to visit Cádiz, Betis, Union Berlin and Alavés, and receive Naples, Granada and Villarreal, and that could be an opportunity for Modric who has not finished being as protagonist as in the past.
Many points at stake with barely a dozen players from the first team available, which is why the white ‘Factory’ appears to offer solutions to the problem. Thus, Ancelotti would rely on the services of the young Mario Martín, a talented midfielder who already made his debut in the Cup quarterfinals against Atlético last season, and Nico Paz, a fixture at Castilla and with many chances of gaining prominence, after appear already in the League and Champions this year.
Furthermore, Ancelotti will also have to ‘invent’ in attack after Vinícius Jr’s injury, in the dry dock for the second time in just three months of competition, although this time more serious. The Brazilian suffered a tear in his femoral biceps with his national team, so he could be away from the playing field for about two and a half months. Goodbye to 2023 just when he began to regain physical tone and the electricity of the last two years.
His absence opens the door to the transfer of Rodrygo Goes to the left wing, while Joselu ‘promotes’ to the starting ‘9’ position. The Galician striker is synonymous with reliability, participating in 16 of the whites’ 17 games, with 5 goals and 2 assists. Brahim Díaz could also gain minutes on the field, favored by a possible return to the 4-3-3 and playing on the right, where he stood out for AC Milan in 22-23. From the quarry, help could appear from Álvaro Rodríguez, whom Ancelotti already tested last year and even scored in the league derby against Atlético, or Gonzalo García.
What Ancelotti will have to do with so many injuries – Kepa, Courtois, Militao, Tchouameni, Camavinga, Vinícius and Güler – will have to make a mess in a squad that already did not stand out for an extensive wardrobe and that forces the one from Reggiolo to build solutions so that the performance and performance of the whites does not decrease at the end of the year, with the support of the youth team and trusting that there will be no more mishaps and that recoveries will be shortened and full.