Look at it this way, Madridistas: This absence will be far shorter than last year's. Then, at this time, Real Madrid's lead central defender, Portugal international Pepe, tore up his knee and barely made it bad for the World Cup, something that did nothing to help Los Blancos try to track down Barcelona. This year, Pepe will only be out a month after picking up a thigh injury in Copa del Rey action, an absence that's unlikely to affect the race in La Liga.
Real Madrid Loses Pepe For One Month
Playing yesterday in Real Madrid’s Copa match against Levante, Pepe picked up a thigh injury, diagnosed on Friday as a tear, an injury which will keep him out of action through January.
While Madrid supporters may feel relative fortune reflecting back the injury that ended Pepe's season last year, why was one of the squad's more important players dressed at all on Thursday? Real Madrid entered the second leg of their tie up 8-0. They lost 2-0 to Levante, still easily progressing into the Round of 16. Mourinho's XI reflected the match's stakes, with only Ricardo Carvalho, Sami Khedira and Karim Benzema selected from his regulars.
But Pepe still dressed. He came on for Carvalho just after halftime, and while Mourinho seemed to be giving each of his starting central defenders just enough time to stay sharp, one still picked up a knock.
Given Real Madrid’s depth and the talent gap between them and the rest of La Liga, Pepe’s injury is unlikely to matter. Raul Albiol or Ezequiel Garay can step in, and since the club doesn’t fact Barcelona while their first choice recovers, the difference between starter and understudy’s unlikely to matter. With UEFA Champions League not re-starting until February, Madrid should have Pepe back for their rematch against Lyon.
And perhaps we should bot dismiss the idea that Pepe’s quoted recovery time is a function of need. If the defender is not going to be missed for a month, why not give him that time to fully recover from the muscle problem?
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