The unexpected shipwreck of Raphaël Varane

From light to drowning for Raphaël Varane. Promoted defensive boss of Real Madrid after the suspension of the irreplaceable Sergio Ramos in the first leg, the French international central defender (27) single-handedly symbolized the despair of Zinédine Zidane and his men, eliminated from the Champions League even before having seen Lisbon and its original Final 8. It only took one image to understand his desolation. The tall, burly Varane, usually so calm and brilliant in his composure, put his hands on his head in despair and then shook his head from side to side, staring into space, after the first gift. offered to Gabriel Jesus (9th) for the first goal of the Citizens, signed Raheem Sterling. He then sealed the elimination of his team by serving a soft and risky head pass to his goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, intercepted once again by Gabriel Jesus who only had to propel the ball into the net for the 2 -1 (68th).

"I failed, and I must assume it"

“I want to stand up because in my eyes, this defeat is for me. Sometimes you can fail. Today (Friday), I failed, and I must assume it, ”reacted the ex-Lensois on Movistar + at the end of the match. “I have no explanation for these errors. It's a complicated night for me. I have to assume my role in the good times as in the bad times. We must not ruminate on this. (...) Everyone knows that I am sad. You have to have character to come back stronger, but it's going to be a complicated night, ”Varane confirmed. A terrible frustration for the captain of the Blues with 64 selections, orphan of Ramos to lead what was, until that pitiful Friday night in Manchester, the best defensive curtain on the whole continent. Arrived in 2011 at Real, Varane had yet signed one of his best campaigns in the Merengue jersey, even qualified as a "great season" by Zidane ... before the huge downside of Friday night.

The cruel absence of Sergio Ramos

Hesitant from the kick-off in the face of the aggressive pressing of the citizen attackers, deprived of Sergio Aguero (injured), Raphaël Varane was far from displaying his usual tranquility on Friday ... and the performance of his partner Eder Militao, who had the a heavy task to make forget the unforgettable Ramos, was hardly better than that of the Frenchman. “Maybe we took a little too much risk at the start of the game and we paid dearly for it. This has not happened to me often in my career ... We make mistakes everywhere, but there are areas where they are more expensive, ”analyzed the defender at the final whistle. On July 10 in the league, Real had yet displayed the same tightness without Ramos, already suspended, by winning 2-0 in La Liga. But it was against Alavés, an opponent far inferior to City and its Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus and others.

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And Varane's certainties flew with Ramos' absence. With this duo, "it's just happiness," Zidane savored recently. But without Ramos it has been a nightmare for the Frenchman. Despite his excellent season, it will take time for the French and the Madrid supporters to forget these two blunders and this catastrophic night on the side of the Etihad Stadium. Now on early vacation, will the French international defender manage to heal this still open wound and drive this nightmare from his mind in the future? We will know on September 12, the date of resumption of La Liga, if he manages to regain the confidence of the group and his coach. And he will have to go up the slope because at Euro 2020, rescheduled for the summer of 2021, France will be in great need of him.

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