Zidane's last stunt: how to win without spending

Nobody knows if that Jorge Molina's header at the Camp Nou It will be the true butterfly effect of this League, but surely has altered the Madrid roadmap. Until Tuesday, the Champions League seemed his clearest target. Now maybe the League is: Zidane's team is a mere draw away from Atlético from relying on itself to repeat the title. So the French coach prepares his last acrobatics in a course that he has already known too many: winning without spending against Osasuna (follow the game live on As.com).

Madrid have averaged eight injuries per month, more than one per game, and are still breathing. “What I have learned from this year is that when there are problems there are always solutions,” Zidane explained yesterday. He does not have too many against Osasuna, a game scheduled for an extreme rotation that now seems less clear. To begin with, because does not get Ramos back, living the worst season of his life. He has suffered two knee injuries (one of them, the longest of his career), two muscle injuries, a trauma, a gastroenteritis and the coronavirus. He has been training with the rest for two days, but Zidane still sees him off point. It hardly will be for Stamford Bridge.

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Actually french repeats the call for the first leg against Chelsea minus Carvajal. Therefore, it can be deduced that he will have no choice but to resort to Odriozola. Mendy, the player who most conditions the drawing, is still out. So everything points to another game in which the three healthy centrals, Militao, Varane and Nacho will play, although the latter perhaps as a left back.

Modric and Kroos

From there up Zidane will have to throw numbers. Modric has already played 49 games this year and Kroos, 45. So one or both will rest in Isco's favor. Both are among the six players who have already exceeded 3,000 minutes. If it is refreshing, I would not miss the ownership of Hazard, who played two moments against Betis and Chelsea. It would be his first presence in the eleven since January 30. He is the only one who needs games instead of rest.

The other big decision is to book or not to Benzema. French is half Madrid, literally and not as a cliché. In the streak of 18 games without losing that makes the team proud, he has scored 13 goals (of the 26 total), he has crashed four balls into the post and given two assists. A machine gun. His only relief, Mariano, has scored a goal in the 19 times he was out. The changing of the guard is extremely risky.

Moncayola, in the shop window

Osasuna also responds to the robot portrait of the team that Madrid is indigestible. He is, with Eibar, Cádiz, Getafe, Alavés and Elche, in the group of those who pass through the League with direct football, long pass and, where appropriate, of high pressure with very high data of recoveries and losses. Five of the mentioned teams (all except Eibar) have taken 12 points from Madrid in 11 games.

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In addition, Jagoba Arrasate, a rojillo coach, changed last Sunday against Celta to nine of those who had won the Wednesday before Valencia (all except Sergio Herrera and Oier) to ensure fresh legs. His eleven today will be closer to the duel against the Levantines, although with Budimir for Calleri, he goes down due to low back pain. Eleventh and virtually saved, Osasuna has lost only one of its last seven games. The eyes will be on Moncayola, a youth squad with offers from the five major leagues. A clause of 12 million protects him weakly. Osasuna has only won in two of his 42 visits to Madrid. The last one, in 2004. In that photo, Zidane was still dressed in short …