It’s taken a while, but Real Madrid’s Marcelo was certainly back to his best against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday night. Cometh the hour, cometh the man and all that.
Given that he was identified as the weak link in an under-performing Real side, he deserves great credit for keeping Kyllian Mbappe on the periphery for the most part.
For large parts of this campaign, the Brazilian has paid far too much attention to raiding down the left side, with defending seemingly an afterthought. Too far upfield to get back and help his colleagues, a number of avoidable goals have therefore been conceded.
Luckily for him, new signing Theo Hernandez hasn’t had anywhere close to the impact expected since his transfer from Atletico Madrid, because had Theo hit the ground running, it’s entirely possible that Zinedine Zidane may have given him an extended run in the side at Marcelo’s expense.
The roots of his poor form can be traced back to the end of last season, with Lionel Messi’s last-second winner for Barcelona a prime example.
On that occasion, Marcelo had been kept quiet for the whole game and right at the death, the 92nd minute to be precise, and in a game where a draw was good enough for Real, the left-back decided he would go marauding up to Barca’s penalty area.
Two quick passes later and Sergi Roberto was on his bike, and we all know what happened next.
Similar scenarios have unfolded in 2017/18, but the memories of those will be wiped away with an outstanding 90 minutes against the Parisiens.
Not only did he have Mbappe to contend with, but also his kindred spirit and countryman, Dani Alves. Both PSG players’ influence was diluted and that’s precisely because Marcelo never gave an inch and pushed them right back as and when required.
Even a painful blow from Alves which was serious enough to require medical attention, couldn’t stop the left-back from ensuring that even if Cristiano Ronaldo would ultimately write the headlines, he wouldn’t be too far behind.
His goal, which may well have sealed the tie for Real Madrid, was classic Marcelo and everyone saw exactly what it meant to Zinedine Zidane, the French coach wrapping his player in a bear hug moments after the goal.
In that sort of form he is unplayable and a joy to watch, and certainly a worthy successor to Roberto Carlos in the position. If he can rekindle that for the rest of the season, then Real have every chance of saving face at the very least.
