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Real Madrid’s defensive depth has got fans asking questions, as the squad appears severely understaffed in the central defence and right-back positions.
While the former was a concern from the beginning of the season, the shortage on the flank only arose when Dani Carvajal faced a season-ending injury earlier this month.
Heading into the next phase of the season, Lucas Vazquez will continue as Ancelotti’s first-choice at right-back but the question of who will back him up has plagued the manager in recent times.
The answer is not Valverde
As revealed in a recent report from MARCA, Carlo Ancelotti does not see Federico Valverde as an option to play at right-back under any circumstances, as opposed to rumours earlier this month.
The manager highly values the Uruguayan international in the middle of the park and sees him as an irreplaceable part of the setup.
Vazquez’s first-choice deputy will thus be Eder Militao who himself has struggled for fitness this season.
While the Brazilian’s deployment at right-back will break the team’s first-choice centre-back pairing, Aurelien Tchouameni is expected to join Antonio Rudiger on the days Vazquez does not feature.
Also in the manager’s plans are Jesus Fortea and Jacobo Ramon who are both currently suffering from minor fitness setbacks. The duo will begin training with the first team soon and are seen as options to play at right-back based on the team’s situation.
So far this season, Valverde has started all nine of Real Madrid’s games in La Liga, averaging 88 minutes per game and is the manager’s most-used player. In that duration, he averages 1.6 key passes per game and has provided two assists.
