Xabi Alonso has a selection problem at center back due to injuries.
It’s been a tough international break for Real Madrid players because of injuries. After issues with Kylian Mbappe, Eduardo Camavinga, and Dean Huijsen, there is now a problem for center-back Eder Militao. The Br azilian left the field in the friendly against Tunisia, with an obvious concern on his face.
He will head back to Madrid and have further tests to see the extent of the injury, which is where we will learn how long his absence will be. This weekend’s game against Elche is likely too soon for him to feature. That gives head coach Xabi Alonso a huge headache when selecting his center-back pairing, with previous injuries already hindering who he can start.
The injury to Militao comes at the worst time for Alonso. Before the international break, Antonio Rudiger and Dani Carvajal were already out of action, which means limited cover in the defensive positions. Then, during the international period, Huijsen returned home from the Spanish squad because of a groin injury that occurred during training.
There is no news on whether the 20-year-old is going to be healthy for the game against Elche on November 23. We will know more at the end of this week or when Alonso speaks at the press conference on Saturday. If he is unavailable, then that makes it even tougher for the head coach.
Even if Huijsen is available, the question is how healthy he is for the game. With three games in seven days, Alonso could rest him so the injury does not worsen.
Elche are newly promoted but sit mid-table, so it shouldn’t be taken lightly. But the game against Olympiacos in the Champions League feels more important at this stage of the season.
In situations like this, Xabi Alonso could have turned to midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni. The Frenchman has played several times at center-back because of injuries. However, he is also on the sidelines and likely won’t return until December.
It leaves two center-backs, which I suppose makes it easy for Alonso to pick the starters. Raul Asencio and David Alaba look set to start the game against Elche. Asencio started against Rayo Vallecano in the 0-0 draw and has started two other games this season, but at right-back. Alaba started his first La Liga game against Getafe but was replaced at halftime because of an injury.
It’s a chance for both to show Alonso they can trust them in the future and push to start more games. Regards to the bench against Elche, there could be a call-up from the youth team for 18-year-old sensation Joan Martinez. There could be two or three youth players on the bench, such is the injury problem in defense.