While Real Madrid is experiencing very hectic days in the dressing room after the 0-2 home defeat against Celta de Vigo, chasing Barcelona in the Spanish championship (16 games played, the Catalan team has 40 points, four more than the Baisers) and next Wednesday they host Manchester City in the Champions League, at the Bernabéu Stadium and in the world of Argentine football they are wondering what will happen to them Franco Mastantuonowho hasn’t played since November 1st in the 4-0 win against Valencia.
Since then, the former River player has spent more time in physiotherapy than on the pitch, a contrast to the active participation as a right winger he had at the start of the season and the confidence of the coach. Xabi Alonso. This Sunday, at Real Madrid’s unexpected defeat against CeltaMastantuono For the third time in a row he was on the substitutes’ bench and was not used again.
“It was a pain that I had felt since the second game with River at the Club World Cup. At some point the time came when it was best to stop, recover and be at 100 percent. This club demands that,” Mastantuono said in an interview with weeks ago The Stringer. The physical difficulty that the Azul left-hander was referring to is this Pubalgiaalways a very treacherous injury.
Until the injury, Mastantuono played 12 (nine starts) of Madrid’s 19 games. It was 689 minutes, with one goal (Levante) and no assists. He was the twelfth player in the squad by minutes played. But everything changed.
“Franco is back in shape. However, he has to work and train more after the pubalgia. He is making progress, he is closer to being able to play, he is getting into the squad, which means we have him available.”said Alonso, who is receiving criticism for the team’s performance. In addition, there are versions that suggest that his future as a Madrid driver is nearing its end and possible replacements are already being discussed (Zinedine Zidane It would be the first option; the other would be Jurgen Klopp).
According to the newspaper Marca, after the defeat to Celta, Florentino Pérez and his advisors met in a crisis cabinet that lasted late into the night. Several points were on the table, such as the lack of football in the team, which was more evident than ever against Celta, who dominated Madrid at will at the Bernabéu, without forgetting the plague of injuries” that plagues the team.
“We have to try to turn the tide as quickly as possible (…) There is still a lot of the league left. On Wednesday we have the Champions League game against City to react and get rid of this bad taste in our mouth,” Alonso said. With Real Madrid winning just one of their last five La Liga games, Alonso has come under fire for his alleged poor relationships with players, playing system and tactical decisions, while injuries have also caused him headaches. Mastantuono also lies in this thorny panorama.
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