Real Madrid identify the reason for the squad’s poor fitness this season | OneFootball

Most of the season so far for Real Madrid has seen the squad deal with a large number of injuries, and the manager, be it Xabi Alonso or Alvaro Arbeloa, has barely ever had a fully fit squad at his disposal.

The regular injuries and long layoffs, needless to say, have directly affected the team’s performances on the field and have stricken the club across all departments.

The worst hit, however, has been the defence where Eder Militao, Raul Asencio, Dean Huijsen, Antonio Rudiger, and David Alaba have all had their issues, and for relatively long periods.

Cause identified

As reported by AS in a recent update, Real Madrid’s administration attributes the long list of injuries and poor fitness situation of the squad to the poor planning under Xabi Alonso.

While the former manager left back in January, they blame his lack of clarity and fitness planning for the reason why the players are so fragile in terms of their fitness.

Pintus returned as fitness coach. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

The return of Antonio Pintus to oversee the physical training has improved the situation, and the administration acknowledges the same. They admit that the scenario is improving and that the players are improving with changes in the medical staff too.

A comprehensive assessment of the situation, however, can only be made in the long-run when one compares the injuries in a few months to those at the beginning of the season.

With the business end of the season approaching, Alvaro Arbeloa has a largely fit squad at his disposal, especially with Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe making their return and Eder Militao on the cusp of returning.

The big blow now, however, is the absence of Thibaut Courtois who is expected to be out for a month at least at a crucial juncture in the season.