Real Madrid are getting back into some La Liga action this weekend after their more than just successful triumph over Galatasaray on Wednesday.
But seeing how they will still face a tricky opponent, their midfield star, Casemiro, might have a crucial role to play come Saturday afternoon.
Casemiro’s importance has been second to none this season and he’s now an irreplaceable part of the squad.
The 27-year-old destroyer was always a big part of Real Madrid’s family but this campaign has seen him rise up the ranks immensely. And now, after 15 games played across all competitions, the Br azilian is Zinedine Zidane’s most-used player in the squad with 1290 minutes under his belt already.
That means that he has played the full 90 minutes in 13 games and 60 minutes in the remaining two of the 2019/20 season.
By all standards, quite an incredible achievement that further solidifies his importance.
But his defensive skills and prowess might be put to the test on Saturday when he comes face to face with Eibar’s most dangerous player, Fabian Orellana.
Seeing how they are facing a team struggling to stay afloat in La Liga, it would be easy for Real Madrid to face them on auto-pilot.
But Eibar, and especially Orellana, are quite dangerous when given a chance.
Just the fact that the 33-year-old veteran has already scored four goals and assisted further four in the process as well tells enough of what he can do if not taken seriously.
But not only that but he has also tallied two shots, 1.9 key passes and 2.2 dribbles per game in the 2019/20 La Liga campaign so far. By all standards, quite impressive figures for someone who plays for a side currently in 14th place in the table.
Luckily for Real Madrid, however, Casemiro is more than capable of completely shutting down his opposition.
So far, he’s averaged 3.7 tackles, 2.5 interceptions and has been dribbled past two times per game.
These figures match up against Orellana’s quite nicely but it still doesn’t mean he will have an easy job to do on Saturday.
When everything is said and done, however, the 27-year-old Br azilian is the man you want to count on when push comes to shove.
Let’s see if he can continue the trend moving forward.