Olympique Lyon v Real Madrid:REAL MADRID midfielder Mesut Ozil has struggled for a starting spot after a great debut season because the nine-times European champions have improved on last year, coach Jose Mourinho said last night.
The Germany international quickly won over the Real fans after joining the club from Werder Bremen before the 2010-11 season and developed lethal on-field partnerships with forwards Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and others.
This season, however, the return to form of Kaka after a long injury layoff has seen Ozil slip behind the Brazil playmaker in the pecking order and he appears a shadow of the midfielder who sparkled for Germany at the World Cup.
“It’s mostly because the team have improved. We are better than last year and it’s more complicated to claim a place in the starting line-up,” said Mourinho on the eve of Real’s Group D game against Olympique Lyon at the Stade de Gerland. “No one can expect to always play the full 90 minutes.”
Mourinho suggested Ozil could even be facing competition from Portugal’s Fabio Coentrao at the Bernabeu.
“Last season Ozil was the only number 10 and now we have Kaka and Fabio Coentrao, who can also play there,” he added in his pre-match press conference.
Ozil is expected to start in tonight’s game, though, with Kaka missing out through injury as Real look to reach the knockout stages by beating Lyon, who they thrashed 4-0 in Madrid two weeks ago.
Kaka has a bruised calf and he’s joined on the sidelines by his compatriot Marcelo and former Liverpool defender Alvaro Arbeloa, who are both also suffering from thigh injuries.
“It’s a bit curious because I had planned to rest them a bit against Real Sociedad. Marcelo is unfortunately out although he did not play in San Sebastian,” added Mourinho.
“Kaka played only 15-20 minutes but he took a lot of knocks. I knew it would be complicated for Kaka but it’s more of a surprise for Marcelo.”
Mourinho said that Spanish international Raul Albiol would play in defence and will wear a mask to protect his face after he suffered an injury during a training session with the national team last month.
Lyon have injury problems of their own with defender Aly Cissokho “very doubtful” with a thigh injury, according to coach Remi Garde.
