Real Madrid are not going through the best of times, and after a string of bad results, the pressure is on Xabi Alonso to deliver, heading into tonight’s clash against Man City.
Real Madrid’s form has left many astounded, especially given the incredible start to the season they had, winning 10 of their first 11 league matches.
Since then, the club have managed only one win in their last five matches, allowing Barcelona to secure a comfortable lead at the top of the table.
The Mastantuono impact
While there are many factors attached to Real Madrid’s poor form lately, one of them is the absence of Franco Mastantuono, reports Diario AS.
The Argentine new signing had started the season brilliantly, easing his way into Xabi Alonso’s tactical setup. But his progress came to a halt due to pubalgia in early November, due to which the player missed four matches in all competitions.
Franco Mastantuono, Real Madrid attacker
When will Mastantuono return to the starting eleven? (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
Mastantuono has recovered since and has featured in the Real Madrid squad for the last three league matches. However, he is yet to secure a single minute.
Sure enough, this has impacted greatly, as far as results are concerned. In the games where Mastantuono has been a starter, Real Madrid have won all of them.
But without the Argentine this season, Real Madrid have struggled, notably failing to win in all but one of their last five matches.
Xabi Alonso, for his part, has maintained that Mastantuono needs to recover fully and that the team is being cautious with regard to his fitness.
But the report points out that one of the reasons why Franco Mastantuono has not been getting enough action is the change of formation that was employed by Alonso in order to accommodate Jude Bellingham into the eleven.
From largely playing with a 4-3-3 setup, Real Madrid now broadly operate with a 4-4-2, completely eliminating the presence of one additional striker. This has impacted Mastantuono’s prominence and appears to have reflected badly on the team as well.