In the summer, there was a Real Madrid lineup that the coaching staff, club management, and fans more or less had in mind. Courtois, Carvajal, Militao, Rüdiger, Mendy, Camavinga/Tchouaméni, Valverde, Bellingham, Rodrygo, Vinicius, and Mbappé. A star-studded eleven with extraordinary midfield rotation. However, this lineup has not been able to take the field throughout this season. With Carvajal and Militao sidelined, a lineup that most could roughly jot down at this point in the season includes Valverde at full-back and Ceballos, at the peak of his career, commanding the midfield. This scenario will not be the case in the coming weeks either.
Just as Real Madrid faces a crucial stretch of the season, with a heated battle for the league title, the Champions League tie against Atlético, and the Copa del Rey return leg, Ceballos has been ruled out for the next two months due to injury.
A new obstacle in the path of the Andalusian player, who at 28 years old had finally taken the reins of the team, and for Carlo Ancelotti, for whom there is no respite in the infirmary. The Italian's season is a medical puzzle where there is never peace.
Camavinga, expected to step up in organizing the game following Kroos' retirement, got injured in training before the UEFA Super Cup that marked the start of the season in mid-August. The Frenchman returned in the league derby against Atlético on September 29, but that day saw the absence of Mbappé, along with Ceballos, Brahim, and Alaba, who was recovering from a knee injury.
Mbappé returned in the next game against Lille, but Courtois and Rodrygo were absent. Then came the match against Villarreal and Carvajal's injury, a major setback for Real Madrid this year. The cycle continued.
Without the full-back, Courtois was sidelined again and missed the matches against Barcelona and Milan, where Tchouaméni also got injured. Against Osasuna, without a breather, Rodrygo suffered a new muscular problem, and Militao injured his knee again.
Real Madrid entered the November break with medical and tactical issues, and there was no let-up. In the match against Liverpool, Carvajal, Militao, Tchouaméni, Rodrygo, and Vinicius were absent, with the latter sidelined with a muscle injury until mid-December, and that week Camavinga suffered a setback.
Camavinga's absence gave playing time to Ceballos, who began to accumulate minutes and responsibilities. Meanwhile, Mendy missed the Intercontinental Cup, and although the attack started to regain fitness, defensive absences continued to impact the team, as seen in the Super Cup against Barcelona.
After the Arabia game, with Vinicius suspended due to his red card at Mestalla, Camavinga suffered another setback, paving the way for an undisputed Ceballos. Before the first leg against Manchester City, both Rüdiger and Lucas were sidelined. Ancelotti then made a crucial decision for the season: with Ceballos performing at that level in midfield, he could consider deploying Valverde at full-back. This setup led Real Madrid to their best performances of the season, but now Ceballos' injury once again presents Ancelotti with a puzzle.
With Asencio in central defense and Valverde at full-back, it will be the moment for Tchouaméni and Camavinga (and Modric), who were expected to dominate the midfield last summer.