4 reasons why Marco Asensio is struggling this season

Having been on the sidelines at Real Madrid over the last two seasons, this was the campaign where Marco Asensio was expected to truly break out, fulfilling his tremendous potential and cementing his status as one of the best players in the world.

However, that has proved not to be the case, as the 23-year-old has struggled horribly for form and has failed to impose himself on matches in the manner expected of him.

Asensio had a truly remarkable breakout year in the 2016/17 season, scoring on his five Real Madrid debuts - in the UEFA Super Cup, La Liga, Champions League, Copa Del Rey as well as Spanish Super Cup and it was expected that he would be among the biggest beneficiaries of Cristiano Ronaldo's departure from Real Madrid.

Things have however panned out differently, as the Spanish international now finds himself on the fringes having lost his starting place under Santiago Solari, completing the full 90 minutes just once under the former Real youth team manager, while he has started in just seven of his 18 games in charge so far.

All round, Asensio's numbers have also dropped alarmingly, his chance conversion rate is down to 14% this season, compared to 40% last term and a whopping 65% in his aforementioned breakout campaign, while he is also shooting less frequently and looks short on confidence.

So far this season, Marco Asensio has scored just five goals and registered three assists from 30 matches in all competitions (with just one goal and two assists coming from 19 league matches), which are rather poor figures considering how much was expected of him.

Having been knocked out of the Copa Del Rey and sitting nine points behind Barcelona on the LaLiga standings, it is looking highly likely that the season would end without domestic silverware for Los Blancos, while they do not have the talismanic Ronaldo to turn to for continental success.

In this piece, we shall be taking a look at four factors which have contributed to Marco Asensio's disappointing performances this season.

#4 His deployment on the left wing

Asensio has been mostly deployed on the left wing for Real Madrid

The last decade has seen the tactical rise of inverted wingers, wherein players are deployed on wings opposite their dominant foot i.e, left-footed players operate on the right wing and vice versa.

This is to enable them to cut inside on their stronger foot to shoot at goal and this goes against the century-old pattern of wingers being deployed on the wings just for their crossing abilities.

Marco Asensio is a technically gifted footballer, blessed with a rocket of a left foot and this much has been evident over the years, as he has scored a number of long-range screamers with his goals against Barcelona and Sevilla in the UEFA and Spanish Super Cups coming to mind.

Hence, his best position is out on the right wing where he can cut inside and put his left foot to devastating use. However, the presence of Gareth Bale and Lucas Vazquez pretty much limits his chances of playing out right and has seen him stuck on the left of Real's attacks as a result.

As Asensio himself stated in an interview with Marca, he feels more comfortable on the right flank or in the middle. ''I can be more decisive in the middle or on the right flank, if I play more on the right or middle, I have more chances to be decisive and get more involved.''

It looks highly unlikely that his wish would be granted anytime soon, as Asensio has been played out of his preferred position for the entirety of this season and for as long as this continues, we are unlikely to get to see the best of him.

#3 His failure to take up responsibility

Ajax v Real Madrid - UEFA Champions League Round of 16: First Leg

Ronaldo's departure from Real Madrid left a huge hole at the club not only on the field in terms of his number of goals, but also in the dressing room and beyond as the Portuguese is undoubtedly one of the most influential and commanding names in the history of football.

His absence paved the way for others to step up to the plate and take up responsibility for leading the club's cause and while there might be more experienced players in the squad, leadership is not always by age, as there are countless examples of young players taking charge and leading their team throughout history.

Marco Asensio was one of those who failed to step up to the plate and take charge, but beyond that, his response at those allegations were more damning, as he stated, ''I don't think it's for me to carry the team - there are more experienced players who have more status and years under their belt, so they're the ones who are to lead the team.''

These were rather disappointing comments coming from a player who was expected to be the future of the club and showed a mental fragility which is unbefitting a Real Madrid player.

Marco Asensio's comments and state of mind shows that he is unfit to be a Real Madrid leader and goes in contrast with the exploits of other young players across Europe such as Kylian Mbappe, Marcus Rashford and Trent Alexander-Arnold who have risen above excuses to take their respective teams to the next level.

Football is very much a psychological sport as much as it is physical and as the saying goes, 'if you believe it, then you can achieve it.' However, Asensio does not seem to believe that it is his duty to carry Real Madrid and this shirking of responsibilities has a large part to play in his subpar performances.

#2 The rejuvenation of Vinicius Junior

Vinicius Jr signed for Real Madrid in May 2017 for a fee believed to be in the region of €46m, with the transfer only being officially completed last summer after the Brazilian turned 18 (due to international transfer rules).

Upon arrival at Real Madrid, Vinicius initially struggled to make his mark, as former manager Julen Lopetegui showed a distinct distrust in him, limiting him to just 12 minutes of gametime across two substitute La Liga appearances in his 14 matches in charge.

The appointment of Santiago Solari however changed that, as the Argentine has made the 18-year-old one of the cornerstones of his attack, and his faith has been duly rewarded, as Vinicius has contributed four goals and six assists (more than Asensio has managed) across all competitions since Solari took charge.

Vinicius' form has spelt doom for Marco Asensio, as the Brazilian is preferred in a frontline consisting of Lucas Vazquez and Karim Benzema and for as long as he continues to thrive, Marco Asensio's struggles are bound to continue.

#1 Real Madrid in general have struggled

A lot of Real Madrid players have struggled this season

Real Madrid is arguably the biggest club in the world, so it, therefore, comes as no surprise that it parades some of the best players on the planet within its ranks.

It is the dream of every young boy to put on the famous white of Los Blancos owing to the numerous legends who have donned the jersey and this season is no different, as most of the players currently in the Madrid squad are among the best in their respective positions.

Numerous titles have been won over the last few years, with players like Karim Benzema, Luka Modric, Sergio Ramos, Toni Kroos, Gareth Bale, Marcelo but to name a few bonafide world class players.

However, for all of their world class attributes, a lot of Real Madrid players have been beneath their usual high standards this season, with players like Ramos, Marcelo, Varane, Isco, Bale, Modric etc failing to match the heights of previous years.

This has had a concordant effect on the overall squad, as results have matched the players' poor performances and the club currently finds itself on the brink of having a catastrophic trophyless season.

Football is a team sport, with players' displays generally rubbing off on one another, as when a large portion of players are playing well, their teammates generally look good and vice versa. However, most of Marco Asensio's teammates have been on the latter side and this has had an effect on his performances as well.

Edited by Arvind Sriram