David Alaba is one of the few signings of Real Madrid that made the transition to white look ridiculously easy. Upon arriving in the summer of 2021, the centre-back walked into Los Blancos’ starting line-up and led from the front from his first day.
/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/diarioas/3DDNPR7GR7BYD6UUYEWE45LQFA.jpg)
While form has not been a significant concern for the Austrian, fitness struggles have hit him hard this season. He has already missed over 50 days of action for Real Madrid this season through muscular setbacks, the most recent of which saw him ruled out for six games.
It was in the 5-2 win at Anfield that the defender walked off injured, and made his awaited come-back in white last week against Real Valladolid. He even played all 90 minutes against Barcelona in the 4-0 rout earlier this week, providing over 12 defensive actions.
According to reports from journalist Rodra P, Alaba’s return has infused the Real Madrid dressing room with a renewed sense of confidence. He is a key figure in the locker room and for the coaching staff at the club.
Correlation indeed does not mean causation. Yet, one cannot undermine the fact that Real Madrid have scored ten goals and conceded none exactly from the game where Alaba made his return.
The Austrian has made 20 league appearances for the defending champions this season, scoring one goal and providing three assists in the process. He has overseen four clean sheets and averages close to five defensive actions per game.
It will be interesting to see if Ancelotti prefers to deploy the Austrian at left-back in place of the injured Ferland Mendy, or as a central defender for the coming games.
After all, he is the only experienced left-back backup at the manager’s disposal and can relieve Eduardo Camavinga from a foreign position.
