Real Madrid News
Injured Real Madrid star pushing to return for Copa del Rey final vs Osasuna
Real Madrid are up against perhaps one of their most decisive weeks of the season across competitions at the beginning of May.
The men in white take on Osasuna in the final of the Copa del Rey in their second game of the month before facing off against Manchester City twice in two weeks in the semifinal of the UEFA Champions League.
A perfect run at the beginning of May would set up a fairytale finish to the season for Los Blancos. It would not only assure them of the Copa del Rey trophy but place them in the final of the UCL against either of the Milan teams. In either case, Carlo Ancelotti’s men would be the favourites to win that final.
A fully-fit squad would go a long way in ensuring the team’s dream run. However, Ancelotti suffered a big blow to his plans earlier this week when Luka Modric was ruled out through a hamstring injury.
The initial prognosis for his setback was poor, and it was expected that he will miss the Cup final as well as the UCL first leg.
According to reports from AS, the Croatian is doing everything possible to recover earlier than expected. He is desperate to play a part in the Copa del Rey final, at least off the bench and targets a return against Osasuna.
Modric allegedly spent the weekend in Belgrade where he met a specialist to discuss his injury. Marijana Kovacevic, the ‘miracle doctor’ who has treated many including Novak Djokovic before is the specialist working with him.
With more personalised care to his muscles, Modric targets to halve the recovery time.
At 37 years of age, the Croatian international’s drive and perseverance to play at the highest level is nothing short of stunning. Needless to say, his ability to operate and dominate matches at this age is no longer surprising.
Real Madrid prospect Alexis Ciria will have to wait for his Champions League opportunity despite making a strong impression on Jose Mourinho during pre-season.
The Castilla winger has been left out of Real Madrid’s European squad, but the decision is the consequence of UEFA registration rules rather than a sporting judgment.
According to journalist Arancha Rodriguez (h/t Defensa Central), Ciria was not eligible for Madrid’s List B because he has not been with the club long enough to satisfy UEFA’s requirements.
Registering him would therefore have required Mourinho to include him on the more restrictive List A.
UEFA rules work against Ciria
List B provides clubs with additional flexibility to register young academy players, but being young enough is not sufficient on its own.
Players must also meet requirements concerning how long they have been eligible to represent the club.
Ciria does not meet those conditions because of his limited time at Valdebebas. Real Madrid would therefore have needed to sacrifice a List A position to register him.
With those places required for members of Mourinho’s senior squad, Ciria was ultimately left out.
Real Madrid’s List B instead includes youngsters such as Joan Martinez, Mario Rivas, Thiago Pitarch, Jorge Cestero and Daniel Yanez.
Many of these youngsters made a name for themselves under Mourinho during pre-season and could be used to make up the numbers in the Champions League squad.
They could also get some minutes off the bench, especially against relatively easier opposition, as Jose Mourinho looks to manage first-team minutes.
Mourinho still plans first-team opportunity
Importantly for Ciria, missing the Champions League squad does not appear to reflect a change in Mourinho’s opinion of him.
The youngster impressed during pre-season and is expected to continue spending time around the senior team.
Mourinho intends to give Ciria his official first-team debut during the season. That opportunity will now have to arrive in La Liga or the Copa del Rey.
The Portuguese tactician placed a lot of emphasis on trusting Castilla players during pre-season in the absence of first-team stars.
Ciria was one of the many names who made a name for themselves at Real Madrid during pre-season. He deserves a chance in the first team, and it remains to be seen how Jose plans his development.
