Alvaro Morata and Luka Modric fail to turn up for training
Real Madrid’s injury problems continue as Alvaro Morata and Luka Modric failed to turn up for training on Thursday (29 September). After three consecutive draws, Real Madrid are looking to get back to winning ways as they host Eibar on Sunday.
According to media reports, the duo failed to turn up for the outdoor training sessions, though no reasons were given. The Croatian midfielder and the Spanish forward were both in action against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League tie on Tuesday night.
While Modric played for the entirety of the 90 minutes, Morata came on as a late substitute.
The Spanish newspaper Marca has reported that even though the duo was absent, Marcelo, who sustained an injury in the previous La Liga game, was present on the pitch. The Brazilian left back did some light training and trained separately from the rest of the squad as he continues his rehabilitation process.
Injuries for Madrid
Casemiro fractured his left fibula last week and the extent of injury may put him out of action for the next two months. Marcelo, though, is expected to make a return after the forthcoming international break.
As was reported by IBT Times, Real Madrid released a statement later in the day, that Modric, Casemiro, and Morata trained indoors, although no reasons were revealed for this strange decision.
A series of draws
The Los Merengues were held to a third consecutive draw after Andre Schurrle was on hand to score an 87th-minute equalizer, which cancelled out Raphael Varane’s goal. Earlier, Cristiano Ronaldo had opened the scoring when he struck in the 17th minute which went in off the post, to give the visitors the lead.
Consecutive league draws against Villareal and Las Palmas have left them only a point above second-placed Barcelona and two above city rivals Atletico Madrid. Additionally, injuries to key players such as Casemiro and Marcelo have left the Madrid squad shorn of momentum.
Zidane has come under scrutiny this past week, after the substitution of Ronaldo last week. In a quiet summer, in which Madrid failed to buy an adequate replacement for Casemiro, the squad lacks a quality defensive midfielder.
While Zidane has plethora of attacking midfielders in his squad, the defensive midfield position has become a problematic position.
Toni Kroos has often played the position alongside Modric, but Madrid have been more defensively solid when Casemiro has been around. His ability to break up play has been sorely felt as Madrid look to maintain their lead in the league.