A lot of credit must be given to Carlo Ancelotti’s coaching exploits this season with Real Madrid.
He already had his work cut out when Karim Benzema left the club to join Al Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League, but things only became harder from thereon.
Not only did Madrid not sign a superstar replacement, they have been hit by a wave of serious injuries since before the season even started.
Thibaut Courtois was the first pawn to fall, tearing his ACL during pre-season. Eder Militao fell to the same fate on the opening day of the season, which was then followed by the same injury to David Alaba nearly midway through the season.
Between all of this, too, los blancos have had several players sidelined, including Arda Guler, Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga, Vinicius Jr and then some.
In fact, Vinicius picked up another injury as recently as this weekend. The Br azilian was supposed to start against Atletico Madrid, but could not compete after picking up a knock to his back during warm-up.
Eventually, he was replaced by Brahim Diaz, who went on to score.
Antonio Rudiger was another player who had to be sidelined during the game against Getafe. He was substituted off at half-time, and eventually missed the Atletico clash despite being a part of the squad list.
Arancha Rodriguez has provided an update on both players’ situation, meanwhile.
As far as Vinicius is concerned, the discomfort to his cervical is more serious than initially assumed. His participation against Girona will depend on his recovery, but it is likely that he could start on the bench.
Meanwhile, there is optimism about Rudiger, who is expected to be back in time against Girona. It is still too early to say, though, and Carlo Ancelotti will make the decision to play him only if the medical staff give him the green light.
Madrid dropped two points against Atletico at the Santiago Bernabeu after Marcos Llorente scored a late equaliser. While they are still top of the table, their lead has been cut down to two points with Girona, who could make their way back up with a win next weekend.