After 2 losses, Real Madrid reeling before trip to Barcelona

After being humbled by a not too long ago promoted membership and a Ukrainian facet enjoying with reserves, Real Madrid faces a visit to Camp Nou. Barcelona hosts Madrid on Saturday within the first clásico below new coach Ronald Koeman. And although Barcelona is present process a rebuilding course of after it ended final season with out a trophy, Madrid involves the conflict with much more doubts.

Madrid has been outplayed at residence by the modest Cádiz and a Shakhtar Donetsk that was with out a number of starters on account of a coronavirus outbreak among the many squad.

In each losses, Madrid was sluggish and disorganized in protection, leaving opponents time and house to efficiently launch counterattacks. Barcelona’s assault of Lionel Messi and Philippe Coutinho and the younger legs of Ansu Fati, Francisco Trincão and Ousmane Dembele could have taken discover.

Madrid was shocked 1-Zero final Saturday by a Cádiz full of a number of gamers who spent their careers within the second division till final month. During that loss, coach Zinedine Zidane stated he wouldn’t have been shocked if Madrid had gone into halftime down by two or three objectives.

That is precisely what occurred on Wednesday when Shakhtar gained 3-2 of their Champions League opener after a Madrid backline fell aside with out Sergio Ramos, who was resting after hurting his left knee towards Cádiz.

Madrid hopes to have its captain again towards Barcelona.

Zidane has tried to soak up the blame for the embarrassing defeats.

“I’m responsible. As the first half was negative for my side, it means I did something wrong,” Zidane stated after the loss to Shakhtar.

“I feel for the players because they have helped me win a lot of things. It was a bad game and they don’t deserve it. But that’s football. You have to keep going and think that if today is gray, tomorrow will be sunny.”

But his squad is below strain, each veterans and newcomers.

Against Shakhtar, Raphael Varane ought to have been its defensive chief with Ramos out. But Varane confirmed the identical fragile defending that was behind his two errors that led to objectives in Madrid’s exit to Manchester City within the Champions League in August.

Caught behind a Shakhtar participant, Varane’s lunge to poke away the ball put it into his personal internet, making it 2-0.

Marcelo and Éder Militão have been unable to cease objectives from Tetê within the 29th minute and Manor Solomon within the 42nd.

Down 3-Zero at halftime, Luka Modric and Vinícius Júnior pulled two objectives again, however with half an hour remaining the group couldn’t culminate the comeback.

“When we don’t play well under pressure, everyone suffers. We found it difficult at the back,” Varane stated. “It’s a difficult time for the team, but we’ve got a very important game (Barcelona) and we’re focused on winning.”

Marcelo, who misplaced his undisputed maintain on a beginning spot final season to the youthful Ferland Mendy, has performed three matches this season. Two of them have been these consecutive losses.

That leaves Zidane with a troublesome alternative for the clásico if injured proper backs Dani Carvajal or Ávlaro Odriozola don’t recuperate in time. If he performs Mendy on the proper to deal with the pace and dribbling of Barcelona’s Fati, then he should hold Marcelo at left again, the place he’ll face both Messi, Antoine Griezmann, Dembele or Trincão, all of whom are quicker.

But if Zidane places Mendy again on the left, then he must recruit Nacho Fernández, a central defender, into taking over Fati. Barcelona’s teenage sensation ought to have the benefit in that duel, which means Fernández would require assist and thus Messi would have extra space within the center.

Barcelona involves the traditional on the heels of routing Hungarian facet Ferencváros 5-1 within the Champions League on Tuesday.

Even so, Modric says it’s positive to have Barcelona up subsequent.

“It’s a good thing that the next game is soon and it’s the clásico,” Modric stated. “We haven’t forgotten how to play football. We can put in a good performance.”