The problems in Real Madrid's defense, which head coach Zinedine Zidane had to deal with, started at the beginning of the season and it seems that they will continue until the end of the campaign.
Rafael Varane's positive coronavirus test is the most recent in a long list. The French defender not only did not take part in the first match against Liverpool in the quarterfinals of the Champions League, but will also miss the rematch and El Clásico next weekend.
Whatever started badly will end even worse. Zinedine Zidane will not be able to count on three of his defenders - Danny Carvajal, Varane and Sergio Ramos in the decisive matches of the season, and the stakes are La Liga and the Champions League.
Ferlan Mendy is the only Real Madrid defender who has not missed a game since the start of the season due to injury. All seven others have done it several times. A total of 23 injuries were suffered by Carvajal, Ramos, Alvaro Odriosola, Eder Militao, Nacho, Marcelo and Varane. The defenders treated the injuries for a total of 509 days.
The situation for Zidane was so unpleasant that he managed to rely on his starting four in defense - Carvajal, Ramos, Varane and Mendy - in only 6 of 40 games in all competitions. For the last time, the four defenders started simultaneously as starters in the match with Granada on December 23.
Due to the positive test of Varane, the coach is left without his starting pair of central defenders for the decisive matches with Barcelona in La Liga and Liverpool in the European tournaments. Both Real's right-backs have been absent for more than 80 days this season. Ramos, Carvajal and Odriosola have already accumulated 100 days without a game.
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