Real Madrid are a team of extraordinary players and this can explain why Zinedine Zidane might be having a problem picking his first eleven for the team. As much as we want to say this is the problem though, it is not.
Real Madrid have suffered a total of 13 fitness setbacks since their 2019 pre-season tour making it extremely difficult for the French manager to pick his first team. This does not include the five players sidelined and still recovering.
Bad as it may seem for Real Madrid, we believe injuries come and go. With that in mind, Zidane should be able to have his full roster at his disposal soon enough leaving him with the big decision of who to pick and who to make sit it out.
From the look of things and observation of Zidane’s game style, let’s take a look at the likely starting eleven the French manager might go with – especially if they want to win this season’s La Liga. If you want to place a bet on this outcome, use this 1xbet promotion and the very best prices available.
Goalkeeper – Use Areola instead of Courtois
It is a well-established fact that Courtois is the number goalie of the club but it is also not news anymore that the Belgian has lost form. He has played 14 games for Real Madrid across all competition this season conceding 10 goals. This leaves him at an average of 0.8 conceded per 90 minutes. (FootyStats)
Unlike Courtois, Areola has played 7 matches for the Los Blancos across
all competition with 50% clean sheets as against Courtois’ 33%. (FootyStats)
Replacing Courtois might upset the goalie but at the moment, it seems like
the only sensible thing to do.
Defence – Rest Marcelo for Ferland Mendy
This is not based on Marcelo’s loss of form but for his current state. Marca claimed Zidane might not be able to use the Brazilian for a while as he has suffered a relapse of the injury that had kept him out since the Levante match on September 14.
In his place however, Ferland Mendy could do a great job and it is about time Zidane starts putting more trust in the Frenchman.
Mendy is dangerous going both ways and offers that defensive stability, which the Galacticos have certainly been missing. The youngster has an incredible total average of 3.5 tackles and 2 interceptions in La Liga for Real Madrid, putting him at an overall rating of 7.03 (WhoScored).
The rest of the backline doesn’t need any changes as Sergio Ramos, Raphael
Varane and Daniel Carvajal have earned their spots in defence.
Midfield – Play James Rodriguez more
The Colombian’s performance has really improved and he has continued to thrive in the absence of Toni Kroos. James Rodriguez has started each of Real’s last three matches, including victories over Levante and Sevilla.
He should be allowed to play next to Luka Modric and Casemiro
Forward – Watch Hazard and Bale
As far as the front three are concerned, they do pick themselves, apart from Karim Benzema, who has already scored six goals in seven La Liga games, the other two forwards will have to start doing more.
Eden Hazard has only recently registered his first strike for the club and Gareth Bale is still on his two from the early stages of the campaign.
If they don’t start performing soon, Zidane has plenty of options on the bench who can replace both of them in the long run.
Conclusion
So far, this looks like a decent starting eleven any team can work with and get good results. This will depend on Zidane making some bold choices as it is not possible for him to satisfy all the players on his team.
Having a vast number of quality players to choose from might be a problem, and it is a big one Zidane might want to solve once and for all.
