Dani Ceballos is the latest to fall due to injury in Madrid. Hours after he publicly apologized for his mistake in the game, it was learned that the midfielder will be out for around a month and a half due to a muscle problem in the soleus of his right leg. Another physical misfortune in a team that this Saturday, beyond its vaunted lack of energy and football, once again exhibited another of its recurring deficits: the precariousness of its defensive line. Dani Carvajal, who had not started since September 27, and David Alaba, who had not started since October 19 at the Coliseum, appeared in the starting lineup on the first day in which the whites defended their lead.
The full-back (34 years old), very punished due to the very serious knee injury in October 2024, had left Mestalla just two weeks ago sulking because he had just added the fourth consecutive league game without leaving. They gave him a clue and there was no shortage of moments in which he suffered the sprinter. Meanwhile, the center back (33), even more affected by the cruciate fracture in December 2023, retired in October in Getafe at half-time with “a slight overload in his right leg”, as the club indicated at the time, and it took him three months to return. Left on El Sadar’s bench were Rüdiger, who suffers from a chronic ailment in his left knee and had returned a week ago from the last setback, three injuries already this season, and Ferland Mendy, who has barely accumulated 112 minutes since April.
The Pamplona event highlighted one of the squad’s usual escape routes. In the summer, the entity spent more than 120 million on Dean Huijsen (62.5), Álvaro Carreras (50) and Trent (10) after three windows without investing in that plot despite the obvious lack of personnel, however, the physical hardships have not subsided. And, in some cases, they have gotten worse. This season there are more pieces than Carlo Ancelotti had, but the difficulties continue. Also because Arbeloa must attend, in addition to the medical reports, to the political issues involved in having the team captain sitting on the bench for weeks.
The return of Niko Mihic
If only health reasons are taken into account, of the ten defenders in the first team, six have been lost due to injury around half of the games: 14 of the 38 that Madrid have already added this season have been left behind and many of the nine who did not leave the wing were due to dosage or lack of set-up; Trent and Rüdiger have been off the list in 21 dates; Militão in 19; Alaba in 12, although in the vast majority of other matches it was due to his long inactivity; and with Mendy it ends before saying the ones he played (one whole and two small pieces).
Thus, Alaba has barely participated in 10% of the minutes; Carvajal, at 17%; Trent, at 20%; Rüdiger, at 27%; Militão, at 37%; and Mendy, at 3%. Except for the recently arrived English, all of them were key to the latest successes. The Brazilian, who had started well despite accumulating two almost entire seasons away, is not expected for at least a month.
The healthy group is reduced to four, and some with an asterisk: Asencio (58% of the minutes) has problems with a shinbone, (62%) has acknowledged that it is the first time he has suffered injuries (now on leave), Fran García (20%) does not count due to technical decisions, and only Carreras (81%) is a starter without health scares.
The last solution has been to recover as a team doctor, a position he already held until 2023, when the hole was beginning to get big. In parallel, Antonio Pintus has returned as head of physical preparation, a position he held until last season, after a series of injuries. The two are very close to the club’s management.
