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Home » Fitness » Real Madrid’s greatest fitness concern is not Gareth Bale, but Dani Carvajal – ESPN FC (blog)

Sid Lowe explains why it would not be worth the risk for Zinedine Zidane to start Gareth Bale over Isco in Cardiff.

Regardless his offensive credentials and his track record of scoring in top-level matches, Gareth Bale is not Real Madrid's biggest fitness concern for Saturday's Champions League final versus Juventus. The Welshman could well be a key element to keep Dani Alves in check, but if he can't recover for the duel, Zinedine Zidane's team have other satisfactory options to cover for Bale.

However, that is not necessarily the case if Dani Carvajal does not make the final in Cardiff. The energetic full-back has enjoyed an outstanding season, during which, coupled with Marcelo's forays on the left flank, they've given opponents plenty to deal with when trying to contain Real Madrid's offense from both wings.

When in shape, Carvajal is a physically gifted dynamo able to run up and down for all 90 minutes. He can dominate the fastest wingers while making them work defensively, as he enjoys venturing forward as much as any other right-back in world football. Unfortunately, he tends to suffer muscular injuries, something that Madrid's medical team needs to address. If they do, the club will have a phenomenally reliable full-back for the next eight to ten years.

This season, Carvajal has shown new weapons in his arsenal. His passing looks more menacing, and he has added an outside-of-the-boot cross that hadn't appeared in previous years. For his offensive moves, he links up quite well with Luka Modric, but when Zidane decides to use Lucas Vazquez as a winger in front of Carvajal, the combination is especially potent.

It's hard to explain Carvajal's remarkable ability to influence matches from such a theoretically isolated position on the pitch. He's no Alves, as his participation is much less frequent, although almost equally damaging: They both have four assists in 10 Champions League matches this season.

He's no Marcelo either, lacking the Brazilian's skill to dribble and fool defenders with his footwork. Carvajal resembles more a classic full-back: fast, persistent, often times defeating his defender because of his sheer force of will rather than because of his technique.

One could say that good things tend to happen, both offensively and defensively, when Carvajal is involved in the match. This is the exact opposite of the feeling that his potential replacement, Danilo, conveys when he's on the pitch.

Zidane obviously trusts the Brazilian, who has been his first option to cover for Carvajal this season, especially during the past month. Danilo has indeed grown in confidence and performance, but he's still quite below the level expected for a Real Madrid starter. In a few instances per match he rushes his decisions, loses his defending assignments, misplaces key passes, mistimes his challenges.

When Danilo plays, the centre-back next to him (usually Sergio Ramos) needs to pay special attention to the Brazilian's back, while Modric refrains from venturing forward to avoid leaving him in one-on-one situations versus opposing wingers. In such a high-performing team, a weak link such as Danilo generates an imbalance that impacts the whole lineup, especially when Real Madrid's opponents in the final, Juventus, can send the likes of Paulo Dybala and Mario Mandzukic to put serious pressure on him.

Again, Zidane has given the Brazilian huge doses of confidence. Before the beginning of the season, had someone said that Danilo would start in 17 La Liga matches, it would have sounded like a joke, but that's exactly what has happened, and the club won La Liga anyway. But even though Zidane's confidence is apparent, Danilo has not upped his game as much as he should have. The Brazilian has not done enough to show that he can be trusted as a starter, even less in the biggest match in club football.

Zidane does have other options. The most evident, using Nacho Fernandez as a right-back, would quiet the concerns of most fans. Nacho has performed admirably in both full-back spots as well as in the centre of the defence whenever he's been required to do so, and looks a very safe bet to start on Saturday. But Madrid's French manager opted against this alternative in each of the final three La Liga matches, all of them key for the title, so it seems that if Carvajal can't make it, Danilo will get the nod.

Zidane knows better than any of us looking from the outside. But if Danilo is announced as a starter on Saturday afternoon, the match will have an extra dose of adrenaline for Real Madrid supporters.

Eduardo Alvarez covers Real Madrid and the Spanish national team for ESPN FC. Twitter: @alvarez.

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Real Madrid's greatest fitness concern is not Gareth Bale, but Dani Carvajal - ESPN FC (blog)

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Home » Fitness » Real Madrid’s greatest fitness concern is not Gareth Bale, but Dani Carvajal – ESPN FC (blog)