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Marco Asensio seems to have fallen out of favor with Zinedine Zidane, but he is still important according to the French coach.
When Marco Asensio stormed Real Madrid in the 2016-17 season, Zinedine Zidane was at the helm. He was a pivotal player in Zidane’s rotation scheme, even betting on a spot in the starting lineup that consisted of a superstar attack line. When Zidane resigned after the 2018 UEFA Champions League final, the only way to do it was Marco Asensio.
Fast forward two and a half years and Asensio finds himself in the most unusual position he’s ever been in: on the periphery. When he returned to the pitch after an absence of nearly a year in spectacular fashion, scoring a goal in 30 seconds after coming off the bench against Valencia, everyone raised their expectations for this fickle player.
Asensio started this season as one of the regulars of Zidane’s XI, a reward for finishing with strength the 2019-20 season plagued by the pandemic, and why not? Zidane persisted, even giving him a streak of six straight games at one point to prove himself, but as much as the fans may have been disappointed, Zidane must have been equally disappointed.
During the press conference before the game against Granada, Zizou was asked about Marco Asensio’s situation and the obvious question about his significant lack of playing time. This is what he had to say:
“I have always trusted Marco Asensio because he is a talented player, present and future for this club.”
“The team is playing well, with him and with everyone. It is true that in recent games he has not played much, but what you have to do is continue as usual, working.
These statements are quite surprising since almost everyone seems to have counted on Asensio, all except Zidane. Asensio was one of the players Zidane had trusted a lot during his successful first stint as a coach.
Marco Asensio has an uphill battle to return to the XI of Real Madrid
At the moment, Asensio is in a delicate situation. Lucas Vázquez is inescapable right now, while Rodrygo has been extremely shocking in the limited playing time he’s been awarded. With the return of Eden Hazard to the squad, Asensio would need a Herculean effort to even smell the starting eleven.
On the one hand, Asensio’s talent is undeniable, but he seems to lack confidence. There have been glimpses of what makes it so special. As agonizing as it may be, that has been the story of Asensio’s ill-fated season thus far – it has offered no more than an occasional glimpse of his skillful football.
I am a huge fan of Marco Asensio and I still believe that he can be important for the team. However, one question remains. Has the ship sailed for Asensio? With the rumors of the arrival of Kylian Mbappé to Real Madrid getting stronger and stronger and the inescapable role of Rodrygo, it seems that there is no way out of this great hole in which Asensio finds himself, struggling to get out of it.
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Regardless, Marco Asensio’s fate is in Zinedine Zidane’s hands as much as it is in his own hands, and these words from the manager will do a seemingly unsafe Asensio a lot of good at the moment. If he manages to reverse the situation, he will become a fundamental part of the project that is being developed under Zidane’s vision.
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