Real Madrid returned to their winning ways, but at a high cost. They can’t afford to panic, as the Copa del Rey is back for the decisive second leg against Celta de Vigo. The Galician team leads 2-1 and will now play at home. The situation isn’t ideal and January is proving to be a challenge both mentally and physically. The future of one of the three competitions is at stake, so making a comeback is the only option.
Preferred Lineup: 4-3-3
Zinedine Zidane has both a tactical problem and a fitness problem. He may have overused some players and now they’re at a breaking point or already injured. In addition, at least 19 players have been injured so far this season, which may be due to poor preparation or planning from the fitness staff. Regardless of the root of the problem, experimentation will have to occur in order to create competitive lineups.
GK: Kiko Casilla
Neither he nor Keylor Navas seems to be going through a good moment. Although not absolutely necessary to advance to the next round, working extremely hard on keeping a clean sheet can give the attacking men the peace of mind to score.
Defense
RB: Lucas Vázquez
Here’s where the experimentation will have to begin. Danilo was called up for Saturday’s game, yet he didn’t play a single minute. His attitude against the coach may leave Lucas as the right back while Carvajal is gone.
CB: Raphaël Varane
Pepe’s still out and things are getting more complicated for the defense. Both the #2 and Ramos better stay healthy or the situation could worsen. At least the Portuguese could return in a couple of weeks.
CB: Sergio Ramos
Maybe scoring a brace and earning the three points will get him back on the good track. His persistent spirit will be necessary for a match like this since every single man on the pitch must not give up.
LB: Nacho Fernández
He’s the official wild card of this squad. He can play almost anywhere. He’ll stay on the left side for now. The only way he will move to the right is if Coentrão manages to come back and Danilo returns to the lineup.
Midfield
RCM: Mateo Kovačić
Luckily for Zizou, Mateo is a fine replacement for Luka Modrić. Even though it’s very hard to replicate what the #19 does, the similarities in their playing style make the transition rather smooth.
CM: Casemiro
There’s no doubt he’ll stay here. The club decided not to look for a replacement for him during this transfer window. Bringing back Lucas Silva would have been a good way to test another midfielder with the same mentality.
LCM: Toni Kroos
Here’s another story similar to Marcelo’s. If the German continues to accumulate more minutes, he could break at some point. Fortunately for his boss, he seems to have a privileged body, since he recovers from injury faster than usual.
Attack
RW: Isco
He already moved to this position against Málaga. He’s the first in line for this spot unless James recovers and becomes a threat. Asensio, Morata or Mariano would be the other choices if the system changes a bit.
ST: Karim Benzema
It says a lot when the center back has scored more goals than you in La Liga. The attackers are also included in the team’s current poor form. If the primary objective is to beat the 2-1 lead, there has to be a change in attitude towards scoring.
LW: Cristiano Ronaldo
Just as it’s happened with him throughout his time at Real Madrid, his anxiety starts to build up when he’s unable to score as frequently as he’s used to. Instead of letting the opponent leave when he loses the ball, he should strive to get it back.
