Real Madrid are reeling after losing El Clasico 4-0 in the second such embarrassment of Carlo Ancelotti’s second stint at the club. The first time around, he and Madrid immediately turned things around and won the Champions League, so Madridistas are optimistic that this result could spark a turnaround.
Although Real Madrid are loaded with enough attacking talent to keep up with Barcelona if Carletto can find a formula that gets everyone to click – and involves key bench players like Arda Guler and Endrick – their defense clearly looks a step below Barca’s.
Thibaut Courtois papers over a lot of errors in goal, but he wasn’t there against Barcelona due to injury. And Dani Carvajal is done for the season with a torn ACL, taking a Ballon d’Or-caliber starter out of the Real Madrid back four.
Real Madrid already had issues at left back, and after last season’s run of injuries at center back, Los Blancos have to be concerned about their depth at the position for the remainder of the 2024/25 season.
Veteran David Alaba still appears to be nowhere near returning after an ACL tear last season, and with Joan Martinez also on the shelf with the same injury, that has left Eder Militao and Antonio Rudiger as the workhorse duo in the middle.
They are both great defenders, but Relevo report that Real Madrid are becoming concerned about all the minutes Rudiger is forced to play due to a lack of replacements for him.
After he played so much last season, Real Madrid are reportedly concerned about his workload this season affecting his knee. Remember, Rudiger tore his own ACL in the 2015/16 season with Roma and then had knee surgery about four years later while at Chelsea.
Real Madrid players are suffering with FIFA and UEFA’s inhumane schedules, and these ACL tears and soft-tissue overload injuries are decimating the squad. If the club is concerned about Rudiger’s health and a potentially impending injury – and they honestly should, especially since he’s 31 – then that’s all the more reason to sign someone like Aymeric Laporte in the winter.
