Although Carlo Ancelotti does not deter much from his first-choice line-up, the kind of quality that Real Madrid possess is eye-catching. And in this article, we take a look at the line-up of the world class players that are present on their bench.
Real Madrid’s benched XI
GK: Andriy Lunin
The second-choice goalkeeper for Carlo Ancelotti is yet to make his La Liga debut. Thibaut Courtois has managed to stay as reliable as ever, and was given the nod in their last Copa del Rey game as well.
CB: Jesus Vallejo
After returning from loan, Vallejo was expected to be a rotational option for the Italian manager. But, he has only had 14 minutes on the pitch so far this season.
CB: Miguel Gutierrez
Although Gutierrez features more prominently for Raul’s Castilla side, he has a bright future ahead of him. The centre-back has not been given a lot of first team action so far, after showing a lot of promise under Zidane last season.
CB: Marcelo
The Brazilian is a Real Madrid legend, and is set to leave at the end of the season. With Ferland Mendy emerging as the heir to his spot, Marcelo is slowly being restricted to the bench.
LM: Eden Hazard
Eden Hazard has the most minutes of anyone in this line-up, with 831 minutes under his belt. Despite being fit, his performances on the pitch have not been up to par. As a result, he has found it difficult to become a regular in the starting eleven.
CM: Antonio Blanco
Another youth player that has had limited opportunities after breaking out under Zidane, Blanco has not been given his chance under Carlo Ancelotti just yet. However, he insists that the youngster is the future of the Real Madrid midfield.
CM: Dani Ceballos
After returning from Arsenal, Ceballos has found opportunities in the first team hard to come by. He is returning from a serious injury sustained at the Olympics, and only has under an hour of game time so far.
RM: Gareth Bale
Gareth Bale started off the campaign on the right foot, with a number of starts. But, he suffered an injury that ruled him out of the line-up. And now, he hasn’t made an appearance in the white kit since August 28.
CAM: Isco
The Spaniard has only started two La Liga matches this season, and has not appeared in their Champions League campaign at all. Despite hopes that he would be reintegrated in the starting eleven, he has found it hard to get ahead of the iconic Kroos-Casemiro-Modric trio.
ST: Luka Jovic
The Serbian striker has struggled to get his Real Madrid career off and running, and has faded into the background despite showing glimpses of his quality. With Karim Benzema still unbeatable for a place in the starting lineup, Jovic has been restricted to the bench.
ST: Mariano Diaz
The 28-year-old has not scored a single league goal so far, with opportunities for him being increasingly limited. Although Real Madrid wanted to move him on this past summer, he decided to stay despite knowing he wouldn’t have game time.
