Real Madrid’s backups reportedly talk smack about Cristiano Ronaldo behind his back

Cristiano Ronaldo injured his knee this summer, and he hasn’t had the easiest comeback from that injury. While he’s shown some flashes of the old Cristiano, he’s been mostly average so far this season, something you’d expect from a player working his way back from a knee injury suffered at the end of a grueling summer schedule. But because Ronaldo is Ronaldo, and Real Madrid is Real Madrid, this has become a scandal.

Madrid’s fringe players are reportedly criticizing Ronaldo behind his back, and are rather annoyed that he seems undroppable. The likes of Marco Asensio and Álvaro Morata have been better than Ronaldo when they’ve gotten the opportunity to play, but their opportunities have been limited.

And despite Ronaldo’s struggles, Madrid is top of La Liga and their Champions League with an unbeaten record. In the team’s biggest game so far this season, away to Dortmund, Ronaldo scored the opener and was the team’s best attacking player.

Something that the players (possibly) criticizing him and the journalists (possibly) sensationalizing this story know, but seem to have pushed out of their minds, is that Madrid needs Ronaldo to be at his best to win trophies. They have to be better than Atléti, and Barca to win La Liga and Copa del Rey, and they have to be better than those teams plus Bayern Munich, Juventus, and Manchester City to win Champions League. They probably won’t be unless Ronaldo is on top form, so it makes sense to let him work out the kinks now. Especially since they’re not losing with him in the lineup.

Newcastle had a goal over the weekend where all 11 players touched the ball.

English FA CEO Martin Glenn says the next manager has to know how to manage players scared to put on an England shirt. (BBC)

José Mourinho apparently can’t handle his kids getting older and living in a hotel. (Guardian)

Here’s the calendar of MLS’s 57 different drafts. (MLS)

Robert Lewandowski is getting his wages doubled. (Bild)

Valencia were fined and warned for their fans throwing bottles at Barcelona players. (AS)

Ricardo Tavares on the most common passing sequences for Premier League teams and what they might tell us. (Football Crunching)

Kieron O’Connor on Manchester City’s rapidly improving finances. (Swiss Ramble)

Rob Smyth on the history of Manchester derbies in the League Cup. (Guardian)

Liverpool and Spurs played some kids in the League Cup and it was pretty great.

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Serie A: 8 games (2:45 p.m.) — We recommend Inter vs. Torino, which is probably a must-win for Frank de Boer to keep his job.

League Cup: 3 games (2:45 p.m.) — The Manchester Derby is the obvious pick of the group here.

MLS Playoffs: 2 games (from 7:30 p.m.) — Yes, midseason MLS is a slog. But the good part is here. The MLS Cup Playoffs rule. Watch the games.