Why the hell was Asensio taken off?

Published on: 10 January 2021

Some things are difficult to understand, no matter how early you get up. Why the hell did Zinedine Zidane take off Marco Asensio when the Spaniard was Real Madrid's best player at Osasuna?

It's not easy to understand, but it was possible to see it coming. Two and two don't always make four, and Zidane replaced Asensio to not replace Eden Hazard, who wasn't offering anything. Although the Belgian has just come through an injury, there have been a lot of games like this one, wherein he has shown no signs of life.

Zidane's XI wasn't surprising either. With Hazard starting, it was clear that Asensio was either going to start on the right or on the bench. He started on the right and, of course, he wasn't at his best in the first half. Does nobody remember the game against Celta Vigo, or the pass to Casemiro against Granada, both coming from the left?

In short, it's not the first time, nor will it be the last time, that Zidane will have a bad night thinking about how to fit Hazard and Asensio into the same team.

Asensio left the pitch with the same face as many others when he was replaced, and Real Madrid didn't do much better without him. It was a bad night, and Zidane saw that. He brought on Mariano Diaz late on, another player who hasn't been in favour.

Vinicius Junior remained on the bench. His problems in front of goal are known, but when he plays he usually makes something happen. He's a troublemaker. But the fact is that Real Madrid dropped two points in Pamplona, just as they did against Elche.

Source: m.allfootballapp.com

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