Valdano: “Madrid lack freshness, they are showing signs of fatigue”

Jorge Valdano is a frequent voice on Spanish radio’s Onda Cero. The Argentine often provides his insight following the weekend’s La Liga action. Valdano was clear on his thoughts regarding Real Madrid after their second consecutive draw:

“Yesterday Madrid lacked freshness, they lacked a spark. It is physical, they are showing real signs of fatigue,” Valdano told Onda Cero.

Valdano’s thoughts then moved to the final third — an area where Madrid have been overly reliant on Karim Benzema. “It is in the front where Madrid is lacking imbalance; you can’t ask Benzema to solve all the matches,” he emphasized.

“Vinicius flies and flies...what he has to do is learn to brake, not to fly; speed and precision don’t get on well. He will eventually have to learn, but right now it is very difficult to imagine this Madrid without Vinicius, his potential is something to take seriously”.

The last few moments of the show were dedicated to Real Madrid’s UEFA Champions League semi-final vs Chelsea. Valdano recognized the impact that Thomas Tuchel has had on the London based club.

“Madrid are favorites against Chelsea, although less than against Liverpool; Chelsea hardly conceded goals since the arrival of Tuchel,” Valdano commented. “It seems that Zidane will be able to count on Hazard for 15-20 minutes against Chelsea.”

If Madrid are to find success against Chelsea, then they will need to dig deep and push their physical levels to the limit. Valdano noticed what we all did — the team looked exhausted vs Betis on Saturday. Given the overall health of the squad, rotations have been difficult to implement. Can this Madrid squad make it over the finish line? Time will tell.