Why Jese Must Seize Real Madrid Chance Alongside Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Eibar

Jese Rodriguez is set to be the primary beneficiary of Real Madrid’s injury and suspension problems ahead of the visit of Eibar on Saturday.

Carlo Ancelotti is a little short of options, with James Rodriguez and Toni Kroos suspended, Gareth Bale sidelined due to muscle fatigue, as per Marca, and Fabio Coentrao and Sami Khedira also out of action.

The club were, however, successful in their appeal of the yellow card handed out to Cristiano Ronaldo during Tuesday’s win over Rayo Vallecano and will therefore at least have two of their first-choice forwards available on Saturday.

The final berth up front is likely to be filled by Jese, as Ancelotti indicated in his pre-match press conference.

The 22-year-old has not started a match for Madrid since he was included in the first XI for the second leg of their Champions League round-of-16 triumph over Schalke 04 in March of last year. It was not a happy occasion. Just eight minutes into the match he suffered the anterior cruciate ligament injury that would keep him out of action for the next six months.

His comeback came in the second leg of Madrid’s Copa del Rey tie against Cornelia at the Bernabeu in early December. He came on just before the hour mark and scored the final goal in a comfortable 5-0 victory over the lower league side.

It was a promising return to action but one that he has been given little opportunity to build on in the following months. Per Soccerway, he has seen just 330 minutes of action across 16 subsequent substitute appearances in all competitions—an average of around 21 minutes per appearance.

His longest time on the pitch in any one match came at home to Sevilla on February 4. He replaced the injured James Rodriguez in the 27th minute of play and scored what proved to be the decisive goal of match in a 2-1 victory.

He came on at half-time of the derby defeat to Atletico Madrid a few days later but has only received scraps of playing time thereafter.

Per Madrid-based journalist Dermot Corrigan, Ancelotti explained in his press conference on Friday that Jese’s relative lack of minutes was due to the severity of his tear and the time it takes to recover fully from such an injury.

The Italian’s words will have been gladly welcomed by the young forward. He has worked extremely hard to recover from his injury—“I had a very tough time,” he admitted to FIFA.com in December—and has previously displayed his frustration at the lack of opportunities given to him since his return to first-team training.

He had to be calmed down by Karim Benzema, Alvaro Arbeloa and assistant coach Fernando Hierro after being called upon to come onto the field late on into the 2-0 victory over Elche in February. Per Hugo Cerezo of Marca, he was aggrieved after having spent much of the second half warming up only to receive insufficient time to make an impact.

While not particularly helpful, his anger was perhaps to be expected given the circumstances.

“What he needs is to compete,” his ex-Castilla boss Alberto Toril told AS (h/t Corrigan at ESPN FC) in March. “If he does does not play, it is difficult to get back to his best level.”

The unbreakable BBC have blocked Jese’s path to the first team until now. But Bale’s injury seems likely to see him line up alongside Benzema and Ronaldo on Saturday. There will surely be a little less pressure on his shoulders in replacing the unpopular Bale than there would have been had he been forced to step into Ronaldo’s boots.

With that said, the 22-year-old will know that this is his chance to shine and prove to Ancelotti that he is worthy of more minutes between now and the end of the season. He will be determined to make a strong impression but must also be sure to balance his desire to make an impact with the needs of the team.

It has been a long road to recovery for the young forward. On Saturday, he will hope to embark on the triumphant next stage of his journey.