Spanish media: Real Madrid has a central defender battle against Juventus, one old and one young and one fight one

As the key showdown with Juventus is approaching, Real Madrid's defense candidate has become a major problem for head coach Xavi Alonso. Judging from his performance in the preseason, his tactical system has begun to show signs: high-level pressing, role swaps, and three-center-back structure. This formation was verified against Red Bull Salzburg, but it also brought about a realistic question - who will form the core trio of this defense?

At present, the main position is Heisen and Chuameni, who are relatively stable, and they are regarded as important pillars of the defense line. The remaining central defender position is a competition between Asensio and Rudiger.

Asensio returns, can he withstand the pressure?

The young Real Madrid youth training young player has just released the ban and returned, and was suspended for being sent off for being sent off with a red card against Pachuca. His Club World Cup journey was not smooth either: he made a penalty mistake in the first game, and the team was in a dilemma of ten players in just seven minutes of the opening of the second game. These mistakes have sparked widespread discussion in the past week. But it is obviously unfair to deny his efforts throughout the season based on these two games alone.

In fact, Asensio has shown great availability throughout the season. He made 47 appearances throughout the year, including 34 starts. He almost never missed the game as long as his physical condition allowed. At first he was an emergency candidate to deal with Militon and Alaba's injuries as a substitute, but gradually gained a foothold under Ancelotti. Faced with various challenges, he delivered satisfactory answers most of the time. Although there is still room for growth, with stable performance, tenacious spirit and hard-working attitude, this young player from the Canary Islands has won a certain amount of trust.

Rudiger has returned, and his experience and aura have both

On the other hand, German international Rudiger has basically recovered his health. He was getting a starting chance against Salzburg in the last game and his form is gradually recovering. Although it was initially expected to take 6 to 8 weeks of recovery, he returned to the team early and showed a strong desire to fight.

What Rudiger possesses is a trait that is difficult to obtain through training - leadership temperament. Over the past season, he has suffered from knee pain, but he still gritted his teeth and persevered, and returned to the front line in the second round of the Club World Cup. He had meniscus surgery but quickly recovered and returned to the field. This is not an ordinary centre-back, he has never been. In key battles, this personality is also irreplaceable.

In addition, Xavi Alonso's tactical philosophy requires the central defender to have good ability to chase back, open the ground to defend, and the courage to expose his own risks. In this regard, Rudiger, who has been honing in the high-intensity environment of the Premier League for many years, is also at ease.

Militon is about to return, and the competition for defense is fierce. At the same time, Miliiton has resumed joint training for the whole team, getting closer and closer to his official comeback. If conditions permit in this match against Juventus, the Brazilian iron gate will re-start on the green field in 234 days. When he truly regained the pace of the game, the question of candidates for Real Madrid's defense will be further escalated - from "who can go" to "who should stay".

By then, the line of defense that originally relied on temporary patchwork solutions will become a real tactical layout problem. In this process, Xavi Alonso will also truly begin to build his ideal Real Madrid team - a whole that starts from the backcourt, advances layer by layer, and has a unified style.