Casemiro: Zidane's road runner returns in Champions League
The Brazilian was rested in Getafe with an eye on containing the Tottenham midfield. With 21.5km under his belt, no Real player has covered more ground in Europe.
Aware of the importance of the Champions League home game against Tottenham, with both sides level on points and goal difference at the top of Group H, Zinedine Zidane held Casemiro in reserve for the league victory in Getafe after the Brazilian, who is key to the Real Madrid boss’ system, played 180 minutes for his country during the international break.
Casemiro key to Zidane's plan
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EMILIO COBOSDIARIO AS
For the visit of Tottenham, Casemiro’s name will be among the first on the team sheet. The quality at Mauricio Pochettino’s disposal and Spurs’ direct playing style with pose a huge threat to a Madrid side who have not been particularly solid at the back this season and Casemiro will be called upon to perform a duty that none of his teammates can match in order to break up the visitors’ multiple lines of attack in the Bernabéu. It is what the Brazilian is famed for and why he is so important to Zidane: in Europe so far this season, no Real Madrid player has covered more ground than the defensive midfielder.
By resting Casemiro against Getafe, Zidane gave a clear indication that he doesn’t want any complications in Europe. Last season Madrid went through in second place behind Dortmund and Casemiro was notable by his absence in two draws against the Bundesliga side and Legia Warsaw. In LaLiga Casemiro’s influence was also evident, with Real dropping points in four of the 13 games when the number 14 wasn’t available.
