Carlo Ancelotti decided to rest Casemiro, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric for Wednesday’s LaLiga Santander game against Real Mallorca and Real Madrid midfield’s average age dropped by as many as 10 years.
Aged 18, Eduardo Camavinga started in the middle third alongside 23-year-old midfielder Fede Valverde (23) and 25-year-old attacking midfielder Marco Asensio.
Meanwhile, Casemiro (29 years old), Kroos (31) and Modric (36) were all given a break as Ancelotti rotated the team due to the congested schedule in LaLiga Santander and the Champions League.
Six of the players who were introduced in the starting line-up are 23 years old or younger, which means that the first XI’s average age was 24.7 years old against Mallorca.
Fede Valverde’s future at Real Madrid is expected to be bright, while Eduardo Camavinga is seen by the club as a player who will be at the team long-term.
Meanwhile, Asensio netted a hat-trick and stood out against his former team despite dropping back to midfield in Ancelotti’s 4-3-3 formation.
Kroos’ injury issues have prevented him from playing so far this season, while the 36-year-old Modric needs more rest than in other seasons and Casemiro should be part of the rotation until his natural replacement is found by Los Blencos.
ltima alineacin del Real Madrid sin Kroos, Modric y Casemiro, ante el CSKA el 12 de diciembre de 2018.
The last game without the brilliant midfield trident
As many as 1,015 days have passed since none of Kroos, Modric and Casemiro featured in a Real Madrid starting line-up.
It happened back in December 12, 2018, in Real Madrid’s 3-0 defeat to CSKA Moscow on home soil, where Santiago Solari fielded Marcos Llorente, Isco and Valverde in the middle third.
