Real Madrid fans have serious cause for concern after this Reddit user noticed a worrying pattern regarding Marcelo and the side’s defeats since Zinedine Zidane’s return, based on Transfermarkt’s stats.
Around 10 months after Zidane decided to resign following his historic Champions League winning run with the side, the Frenchman returned to the helm at the start of March 2019.
Since the club legend’s return, Madrid have lost just 14 games across all competitions, nine in La Liga, three in the Champions League and one in the Copa del Rey.
Marcelo started in 11 of these, with the Brazilian not featuring at all in any of the other three losses.
The left-back, who has been a wonderful servant to Los Blancos, is now largely used as a rotation option behind Ferland Mendy, who has really come into his own now after his arrival last summer.
Over the same period of time, Mendy has tasted defeat in just four of the games he’s started – all coming in the Champions League, with the ace yet to taste misery when starting a La Liga game.
This is a worrying pattern that Zidane needs to find a solution or, as Marcelo has started all three of the side’s defeats so far this season.
Marcelo has been used a rotation option since Mendy made the left-back spot his own, but this run suggests that Zidane needs to tinker with the way he alternates the lineup.
It’s clear that starting the famously attack-minded Marcelo (who is wonderful going forward by the way), in lineups that have been rotated – and hence weakened defensively – is not a smart idea.