Huijsen back in squad; Alonso to decide whether to give Vinicius a full game after forward’s reaction against Espanyol
Real Madrid will welcome defender Dean Huijsen back to the squad as they face Levante on Tuesday night, after the defender served his one-match suspension against Espanyol last week.
Huijsen was sent off two weeks ago after impeding Real Sociedad’s Mikel Oyarzabal in what the referee judged to be denial of a clear goalscoring opportunity.
Madrid were unhappy with the decision, arguing it should have been a yellow card, a stance also adopted by Spain’s technical committee of referees.
The club later appealed for Huijsen’s suspension to be cancelled, but the Spanish federation’s (RFEF) disciplinary committee rejected the appeal on the basis that its role was not to “re-referee” matches but to apply sanctions based on the referee’s report.
With Huijsen having served his suspension, his availability gives Madrid head coach Xabi Alonso another option against Levante and more freedom to continue his rotation policy.
One player who has been dissatisfied by the manager’s squad rotation is Vinicius Junior. The Brazilian has not completed a full match since Alonso took over from Carlo Ancelotti last summer.
Against Espanyol he was taken off in the 77th minute and reacted angrily, throwing down a water bottle and gesturing in frustration. Alonso will have to choose whether to start him or field Rodrygo instead, and then if he does start him, whether to play him until full time.
Madrid’s head coach waved away any concerns over Vinicius’s reaction against Espanyol.
Alonso said: “I was a player myself and when I was substituted, I didn’t like it either. I don’t think it’s a big deal that the players show their frustration.
“I’m happy with what Vinicius is doing. It is still early in the season. We need everyone, I’m happy.”
