As Real Madrid prepare to take on Valladolid in this weekend’s La Liga fixture, Zinedine Zidane’s side are at crisis point.
With Karim Benzema the latest Los Blancos player to be ruled out by injury, the Frenchman now has at least nine stars that he’s unable to call upon in what is the busiest point of the season.
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AS report that the club are rueing the fact that both Martin Odegaard and Luka Jovic were allowed to leave on loan to Arsenal and Eintracht Frankfurt respectively, however, the fault lies squarely with the French coach.
His stubbornness in refusing to grant certain players minutes on the pitch, preferring instead to use his tried and tested ‘old guard,’ has come back to bite him.
Having to use at least five players from the Real academy side, Castilla, is hardly the ideal preparation for a Champions League tie against Atalanta either, but that is the situation he faces at present.
Given how well Jovic and Odegaard have been performing away from the Santiago Bernabeu, the only way they’re likely to return to the club is if Zidane departs.