Real Madrid News
Real Madrid midfielder keen to play against Valladolid, does not wish to be rested
Real Madrid face take on Real Valladolid at Jose Zorilla later tonight in an encounter that will lay the foundation for the defending champions’ second half of the season.
For the game against La Pucela, Carlo Ancelotti has a fully fit squad including all the thirteen players who were called up for International duty last month. The list also has the names of Luka Modric and Aurelien Tchouameni despite the duo playing a key role in their nations’ deep run in the World Cup a few weeks ago.
Both players returned to training only yesterday, but are raring to step on the field again for Real Madrid.
In fact, according to reports from MARCA (h/t Madrid Xtra), Modric has told Ancelotti that he wants to play at Jose Zorilla and refuses to rest. At 37 years of age, his desire to play a part in his team’s every minute on the field is not only inspiring but flabbergasting.
In the buildup to the clash against Valladolid, the Real Madrid manager clearly said that he would prefer to rest the veteran and give the minutes to a player who has been training more regularly, saying:
“Modric, Tchouameni and Camavinga trained individually today but are fine and ready to play. Of course, I’ll give priority to the players who trained more in the past few days. We preferred to give them some rest after the final. But the truth is, they haven’t had much rest.”
Modric took the Croatian national team to the semifinals of the World Cup against all odds earlier this month. His team fell short to the eventual champions Argentina by three goals in the penultimate round, yet must feel nothing but pride in their achievements.
Modric won the Bronze medal with Croatia and was also the recipient of the Bronze Ball award, as he was named the third-best player of the tournament after Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe.
Given the midfielder’s age, the manager could well opt to keep him on the bench throughout the ninety minutes despite his strong desire to step onto the pitch. After all, it would be wiser to allow his body to recuperate and avoid unnecessary injuries.
Real Madrid News
Real Madrid midfielder trained away from the group last week, but has no injury – report
With the international break underway, several Real Madrid players have been called up for national team assignments. The stars who have not travelled for international duty have continued to work at the club’s Valdebebas training facility to prepare for the restart.
Toni Kroos is one such player who has remained in Madrid, having retired from international football back in 2021.
However, there had been concerns growing around the 33-year-old’s physical condition as he regularly did indoor work last week and was not spotted in group training with his teammates.
Now, Sergio Quirante has come up with an update on Kroos’ situation, stating that even though the midfielder largely did individual work inside the facilities over the last week, he is fine and has no injuries.
Taking advantage of the international break, the former Bayern Munich superstar is understood to have gone through an individual program to prepare for the final, decisive stretch of the 2022/23 season.
Kroos not being injured comes as a big positive for Real Madrid, ahead of important games against Real Valladolid and Barcelona within the first five days of April.
The rest of the Real Madrid midfield contingent – Luka Modric, Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni, Federico Valverde, and Dani Ceballos – are all away on international duties and could return with some fatigue from the travel.
So, it is important that Kroos is fully fit and ready to go as Real Madrid look to cut down the gap to the top of the table in La Liga and also make it to the finals of the Copa del Rey by overturning a first-leg deficit against Barcelona in the semi-finals.
Kroos has played 37 matches this season, chipping in with two goals and five assists in the process. With his contract expiring at the end of the season, it is still unclear whether he will renew or hang up his boots.
