Saturday’s Madrid derby was a typically feisty affair at the Santiago Bernabeu. Referee Jesus Gil Marzano handed out six yellow cards and one red (to Angel Correa) during the 95 minutes as both teams clashed on multiple occasions.
The final booking handed out by Marzano was to Real Madrid veteran Luka Modric, who saw yellow after bringing down Yannick Carrasco as Atletico Madrid looked to counter late on. Despite it being a rather nothing caution, it has knock-on effects for the Croatian international and Carlo Ancelotti.
The booking was Modric’s fifth of the season, and as a result, he will miss Real Madrid’s La Liga fixture against Real Betis next Sunday due to suspension.
Modric has played more of a squad role this season, so it is not as big of a blow for Real Madrid as it would’ve been in recent seasons, with the likes of Toni Kroos, Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga, Dani Ceballos and Federico Valverde all being able to play in Ancelotti’s midfield three.
Chief its Manzano.
And we can manage without Modric now that Ceballos is stepping it up. Or Camavinga being just great.