Real Madrid’s start to the new year has been quite underwhelming, to say the very least. While it did start with a 1-0 win over Cacereno, the team has ended up on the losing side in two of their last three outings and this involves the recent 1-3 defeat against Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final.

Interestingly enough, Spanish publication MARCA points out that the club believe that as many as 13 players are responsible for the dip in form. There is a feeling that more than half the squad members are not at their best level, which has resulted in the mid-season decline.

It is either down to the fact that they played in the 2022 FIFA World Cup or they are injured and lastly, are not in Carlo Ancelotti’s plan altogether.

The likes of Dani Carvajal, Antonio Rudiger, Federico Valverde, Luka Modric and Eduardo Camavinga have suffered the most from the world event. A certain Ferland Mendy is yet to get to his usual best while David Alaba, Lucas Vazquez and Aurelien Tchouameni are out injured.

On the other hand, Eden Hazard, Alvaro Odriozola, Jesus Vallejo, and Mariano Diaz are simply unnoticeable.

Among those who went to Qatar, Carvajal was demoted to the bench by his national team manager and upon returning to Madrid, suffered from physical issues. Rudiger, meanwhile, hasn’t been his usual self since arriving from Chelsea.

In fact, the only reason he is getting regular minutes is that Alaba is unavailable for selection because in reality, he has not given Madrid enough sense of security that was expected.

As far as Modric and Camavinga are concerned, while the former looks extremely tired, the latter did not get enough minutes under Didier Deschamps and whenever he was picked, the manager placed him on the left side.

Looking at the issues at hand, it is rather easy to point out those who have been closest to being their best version. This includes Thibaut Courtois, Karim Benzema, Toni Kroos, Rodrygo and Eder Militao.

But even among the aforementioned, club captain Benzema has struggled for fitness and without a strong defensive partner, Militao is virtually helpless. So for now, the only thing that the team can do is wait for the players to get back to their previous best.

Real Madrid News

Real Madrid concerned over the performances of injury-prone veteran starPhoto by FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

Last night, Real Madrid were completely outplayed as Barcelona beat them 3-1 to win the Spanish Super Cup. Carlo Ancelotti’s men looked devoid of any intensity and ideas in Riyadh and naturally, concerns are growing within the fanbase after the lackadaisical performance.

While reports suggest that Real Madrid are calm over the situation and retain total confidence in the manager and the players, a report for MARCA (h/t Madrid Xtra) claims that the Merengues are growing concerned over the performances of Dani Carvajal.

The 31-year-old right-back has been a permanent fixture in the right-back slot for years at Real Madrid, but has had fitness issues over the past couple of seasons.

While the Spanish international started the new season without any fitness problems but the injuries have started to crop up again and it has clearly affected his performances.

Last night, the veteran right-back was outclassed by a teenager in Alejandro Balde, who, along with Gavi, ran rings around Carvajal with utmost ease.

The Real Madrid right-back had just returned from an injury, having missed the Villarreal encounter due to a muscle overload. Whether he was rushed back into action or not, the Spaniard’s performance was a matter of concern.

Meanwhile, his understudy, Lucas Vazquez, is not even a natural right-back. While he may have done the job when needed, the winger-turned-defender might not be the solution for big games. Furthermore, he is also currently out with an injury.

So, it goes without saying that Real Madrid will have to bring in a new right-back come summer or at least consider making the signing of Vinicius Tobias permanent. The youngster has done well for Castilla, but Ancelotti continues to overlook the young Brazilian.

With Vazquez’s injury and Carvajal’s form, Tobias could get a chance in the coming weeks and it will be interesting to see whether the youngster is given a shot in the senior team.

Source: madriduniversal.com