Former La Liga Legend Believes Not Starting Vinicius Jr. and Others is the Problem
It was another game where Real Madrid failed to get maximum points, drawing 2-2 against Elche. It was also another game where head coach Xabi Alonso chose to start Vinicius Jr. on the bench. Fede Valverde also did not start the game.
It's a tactic that Alonso likes to do, rotate players, no matter how important they are to the team. However, when results don't go the way the fans want, then criticism will follow. Both came on in the second half and did help get a point.
Speaking on Radio Marca show 'El Partidazo,' former Valencia and Real Madrid goalkeeper Santi Cañizares spoke about Los Blancos' problems. The La Liga legend believes he has hit the nail on the head.
The Best Real Madrid Players Need to Play
The new head coach, Xabi Alonso, does things a little differently from others. Many play their best players at all times when they are fit. However, the Spaniard likes to rotate, which means the likes of Vinicius Jr. have started a few games on the bench, as have others.
Former goalkeeper Santi Cañizares believes that is the problem. Despite Alkonso wanting to give others a chance, which he understands, he can't leave out his gamechangers. He knows that the new signings need time and there will be teething problems, but if Vini Jr., Fede Valverde and the players who can change the game start, then Real Madrid may not drop points.
"First, it's a problem of lack of form. There's no system that will make you function when four new players come in, which is necessary because you can't play with the same players all year round, and Arnold has to play someday, and Ceballos, and Rodrygo... and then at halftime you're saying, 'Where's Valverde? Where's Vinicius?'... Maybe the best players aren't there and that's why they're not playing well..."Santi Cañizares
The league leaders have games coming quickly, giving them a chance to react quickly. First, they travel to Greece to face Olympiacos, where a win is going to be important after losing to Liverpool. Then they face Girona in La Liga on the road again.
There are five more league games before the winter break, and if Real Madrid can find their form and win all of them, it will be at the top of the standings, which is a psychological boost. First, they must get a result in Greece, which will gain some confidence back.
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-031bbeb5612ca252e2129722373fa56d.png "Jordan Merritt")
Jordan Merritt is a staff writer for Real Madrid On SI. Before joining On SI, he wrote at Fansided, covering Ole Miss football, basketball, and baseball. He has also written for YardBarker, Heavy Sports, and the official EFL site. Merritt is a big sports fan, spending most of his weekends watching Soccer, the NFL, the NBA, college football/basketball, and others. Before starting his career as a freelance writer, Merritt was an Engineer for over 10 years. He lives in West Yorkshire, England, and is keenly interested in sports trading cards.
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