5 players behind Real Madrid's poor form this season

#3 Casemiro

Casemiro was a vital part of Zidane's system at Madrid

Undeniably the backbone of Madrid's past two Champions League where they have looked vulnerable throughout but yet has come trumped in the important matches and it's down to the dirty work put in by Casemiro at the fag end of Zidane's midfield diamond. However, the shift from 4-1-2-1-2 or a 4-4-2 under Zidane to the holding 4-3-3 that Madrid played under Lopetegui has seen more pressure being directed towards him in the weakened midfield and he struggled to clear the lines often; putting in dirty challenges and getting booked in the process. A player like Casemiro in the position he plays in on a booking is a disaster waiting to happen and he has to walk a tightrope for the rest of the match.

While he has been out for quite some time due to lengthy injury absence, his replacement; the youth academy product Marcus Llorente has excelled in his role with crucial interceptions and ball holding skills. Madrid have been more assured at the back since Llorente has been a part of the midfield. With his return imminent, it would be crucial to see whether he could regain his form under Solari who hasn't shied away from dropping the under-performing starters for youth players.