Converted into a shield in the absence of a sword, Madrid has so far fulfilled its last roadmap in the league: win everything until the derby and try to make up for lost time (and points) at Wanda. To complete the trip, under the pressure of not losing more ground with the rojiblancos and surpassing Barça again, spend today the drink of the Real, a team with similar figures (42-41 in goals in favor for Madrid and 19-20 also in favor of the Whites in goals against) but that adds eleven points less (follow the game live on AS.com). Those who went down the road in a devilish streak: a win in eleven games between the end of November and the end of January.
Now the pace has changed, with the consecutive wins against Cádiz, Getafe and Alavés, largely attributable to the Swede of Eritrean origin Aleksander Isak, in whom he was able to see, at 19, what escaped Borussia Dortmund, who signed him from AIK Solna with 17 (Madrid formed part of a very large procession). Isak, who does not escape the comparison with Ibrahimovic by nationality, physical (1.91) position and scoring production, he has scored nine goals in the last six league games with just 12 shots. That telescopic sight has the Real in European positions.
A top attack
Real paid 6.5 million for Isak two years ago. The Dortmund he had barely given him chances in season and a half. He gave it to the Dutch Willem II and there he left, but by then the Ruhr team already had Haaland tied up. That is why he sold it to the Real, although he kept a letter: he can re-fish it for 30 million. For the rest, his clause is 70. Last season Barça tempted him, but Bartomeu favored Braithwaite.
Isak is the spearhead of a team as colorful as it is irregular. Silva, who came to reprise the role of Odegaard, he has missed 14 games due to injury, but in return Oyarzabal has accelerated his pace as a scorer (ten goals in the League, six from penalties). The seven forwards used by Imanol have added 43 goals (Isak and Oyarzabal are in the top 8 of the competition), a respectable figure. And from set pieces his performance has been excellent: eight goals in favor, only surpassed by Madrid’s nine, and only three against, the best record in LaLiga. Today he is missing Illarramendi, eternally injured, and Merino, the player who fouls the most in the League, sanctioned, but Silva and Carlos Fernández return.
A forward in evidence
The Zidane team has returned to that post-pandemic path that gave it the title: defensive armor to combat their poor scoring figures. More with the nine casualties he accumulated in the last week. Pfor this game recovers four players: Odriozola, Marcelo, Valverde and Rodrygo. None is a starter, but they give alternatives to the French with the game underway.
Marcelo and Rodrygo, during the last Madrid training session.
Realmadrid.com
Five of his injuries in recent weeks have been defenders, but with three healthy, more Lucas Vazquez, they have been able to keep a clean sheet in the last four games. That’s what Madrid lives on, because without Benzema suffers extraordinarily high. The Frenchman has scored 17 goals and his seven companions of the course, 12 altogether. Last season already happened, in which Benzema added 30 goals and between Vinicius, Hazard, Asensio, Lucas, Mariano, Rodrygo, Jovic and Bale they only made 25.
The 41 injuries
So reaching the derby with chances is almost miraculous for a team that has suffered 41 injuries. All players Of the template, except Lunin, Mendy and Casemiro fell. And the latter missed two games due to the coronavirus. A very precarious but not unusual situation. In the first week of March two years ago and after passing through the hands of Lopetegui and Solari, the Madrid squad also reached 41 injuries. They change hands but a problem remains under investigation.
Courtois stops a shot in a Real Madrid training session.
Realmadrid.com
Zidane already has fifteen outfield players available and only one pending decision: Mariano, Isco and Vinicius for two positions, with the Catalan closer to the bench than anyone. Even he has lost that express scorer status that alleviated his ostracism.
source https://pledgetimes.com/isak-tests-the-wall/
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