UEFA Super Cup: Facts prove Cristiano-less Real Madrid should do fine vs Atletico

К сожалению, единственный доступный язык для этой страницы – английский.

августа 13, 2018 подготовил(-а) Ali M.

Темы: Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Julen Lopetegui, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, UEFA Super Cup

Wednesday's clash will be the first of many competitive games for Los Blancos since the departure of their iconic forward.

Wednesday's UEFA Super Cup clash will be the first of many competitive games for Real Madrid since Cristiano Ronaldo's departure. The Portuguese ace inspired the club to a third consecutive Champions League title last season, thus earning them a clash with Atletico Madrid, but the attacker ended up leaving the club not too long ago.

This thus raises a question: will it be "no Ronaldo, no problem" or "no Ronaldo, no party" in the midweek tie? One way of answering this question is to look at his previous outings with Los Blancos in the UEFA Super Cup.

Last season's Champions League win was his fourth in a Merengues jersey, meaning he has only been at the club for three UEFA Super Cups – the upcoming one would have been his fourth. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has scored only twice and assisted none, but there is a very good reason for this.

Of the three ties, he was ruled out of one – the 2016 edition. The Portuguese ace picked up a knee injury in the Euro 2016 final which forced him to sit out Real Madrid's 5-4 win over Sevilla.

Real Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup during CR7's spell

Played: 3

Won: 3

Goals: 8

Goals by Cristiano: 2

Goals by other players: 6

In 2017's 2-1 win over Man United, Zidane opted to start Gareth Bale ahead of Ronaldo, with their all-time top scorer coming on as a late substitute. The Welshman will once again be used to fill the void now that Cristiano is no longer there, but filling his shoes won't be so easy.

With the 33-year-old, the Spanish giant had a player who would guarantee the team goals, even when the entire team struggled to play. Additionally, given that the opponent is Diego Simeone's side, a team Cristiano has scored 22 times against in 31 outings, having him for this tie would have been beneficial.

However, not all is gloomy. The fact that the Bernabeu side managed to win in 2016 and 2017 despite Cristiano playing only a few minutes shows that the club has managed without him and can pull it off again.

Lopetegui can only look forward and in Gareth Bale, they have a talented player who can lead them to the title. If the likes of Isco and Asensio also play at their best, Real Madrid might just do fine without their legendary number seven.