The surprises of Zidane The lineups have been a constant this season. In the first great game, against PSG in the Parc des Princes, he surprised with a hyper offensive alignment with a trident Hazard, Benzema and Bale, backed by the Kroos trivote, Casemiro and … James! The experiment did not go well. Madrid took three but Zidane he repeated in the next match at Pizjuán, and won. To the technician his pulse is not trembling.
In the first Clásico of the season, for example, he repeated with Bale pointed with Benzema and got Valverde on the right. In the second, he surprised lining up Vinicius and again to Valverde on the right … But the decision That took the palm is much more recent and was precisely in the first leg of the round of 16 against Guardiola City. Zidane left Kroos sitting in a strange rotation that very few understood, not even their own Guardiola, who was seen chatting animatedly with the German midfielder in the bowels of the Bernabéu after the game. After that fact, Kroos has never missed a match.
For Friday there is no rotationn possible. It could be the last game of the season, the players come from one Vacations week and Zidane will go out with his gala team. The one who cannot be by sanction is Ramos (Militao, the most expensive defender in the history of Madrid, which cost 50 million, will finally have his great opportunity). AND Mendy confirms his sorpasso to Marcelo. For the rest, the three of the trivot that won the three Champions in a row are fixed in the midfield, Casemiro, Kroos and Modric, and Hazard (already recovered from the ankle) and Benzema (21 goals this season) above. Thus, there are three men for him since it is free. They are Valverde, Isco and Asensio. And that's the great unknown to clear for Etihad.
One choice or another would condition the system. With Asensio a more offensive Madrid would be seen, with an attack trident and therefore also more exposed in the back. But if it is about winning the game (Madrid is obliged), of course the Mallorcan is the most indicated of the three. Since returning to play after the knee operation, he has scored three goals in 334 minutes Distributed in nine games. The first of them, in the first ball he played after the misfortune that had him all season in the dry dock. Has an elf …
However, the previous decisions that Zidane has made seem to give more options to Valverde or to himself Isco. The Uruguayan has been the great revelation of Madrid of the season. TO Zidane He likes to balance the team with him on the right wing, as inside, thus making possible the climbs of Carvajal. It happened in both games against Barcelona and even on the way of the eighths against City (defeat 1-2) where the Uruguayan removed Kroos's post.
For his part, Isco (who also played in the round of 16) is always the center of all debates but ends up playing all the games in which titles are decided. It happened like this in last three Champions conquered by Zidane. He was a starter in all. The only problem is that the man from Malaga has disappeared from the team's last three training sessions. From the club they assure that will be available and that he only had to slow down as a precaution, but he seems to be physically fairer than Valverde. The one from Arroyo de la Miel brings more play in attack: if Valverde gives a pass every 1.6 minutes, Isco does it every 1.3. If the Uruguayan shoots on goal every 193 minutes, the Malaga player every 85 (he finishes more than double). The first has scored two goals and the second three … But defensively there is no color. Valverde has recovered 170 balls this season for Isco's 85.
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“This is where you see men; boys, put them aside”. The phrase sounded lapidary in the mouth of Ramos. It was in the preview of the first leg match against City. Real Madrid arrived in a very negative spiral and only Vinicius and Rodrygo's appearances seemed to give some air to attack the team. Ramos, captainísimo, was clear that it was the group that had won the three Champions League in a row, still intact, the one that had to stand up. Something similar will happen on Friday, but it is also true that beyond the starting eleven Zidane has enough troops to do react to the team. Vinicius, Rodrygo, Asensio if he is not a starter, Bale himself. They are reason enough to believe in the comeback.