An intriguing puzzle: Diaz battles the pain to salvage his season with Real Madrid
Vinicius opens the door to competition
Morocco star Brahim Diaz is enduring a difficult spell at Real Madrid, with persistent muscular pain affecting his recent appearances. He keeps training and keeps preparing for matches regardless, and an opening is now looming for him to force his way back into Jose Mourinho's plans.
Spanish newspaper "AS" report that Diaz has carried the muscular pain for a long time without it easing. It remains strong and troublesome. Yet it has not pushed him to withdraw or ease off on his daily work.
He trains normally with his team-mates and stays ready to play. He has not missed a single Real Madrid match because of these physical problems.
If Mourinho needs him, the Moroccan will be at his disposal. That is the truth of it.
Diaz's season has dipped sharply since his exceptional display against Inter Milan, a night when the muscular pain was already there and did nothing to dim him. He produced a wonderful piece of skill that almost became one of the finest moments of the season, only for Jude Bellingham to fail to turn it into a goal. That came after Diaz had created Real Madrid's first goal, scored by Kylian Mbappe.
Four chances created, 15 passes in the final third, five of nine duels won: he topped the Madrid charts in both of the first two categories. It was his best appearance of the campaign.
The pain has not stopped him playing. He refuses to let it disrupt his career, driving himself through the daily work so he does not drop out of the team's rhythm.
During the 2-1 win over Inter Milan, Diaz played 79 minutes. Since then he has managed only 22, all of them against Elche on 15 September, when he joined the on-pitch celebrations for Asencio's late goal in a 3-2 win.
Three matches have passed him by since, against Atletico Madrid, Villarreal and Roma, with his involvement across the last five limited to those closing minutes against Elche. Rayo Vallecano brought him nothing at all.
That leaves 32 days without Diaz pulling on the Real Madrid shirt in a match, at least with the Madrid side. Things looked completely different when he joined up with Morocco, as they always do.
Over the long international break, Diaz slotted into the number 10 role for his country.
The coaching staff handled his call-up carefully, though, drawing up a precise plan to manage his appearances around the muscular pain. That cost him the first of the national team's three matches.
Rest kept him out of the meeting with Gabon, but the staff reckoned a few minutes would do him good and help him keep his feel for the game.
He duly started the second match against Lesotho in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers and helped drive his country to a 2-0 win.
Diaz scored the first goal in the 45th minute. Regragui then stuck to the plan and withdrew his star in the 69th, with Soufiane Rahimi replacing him.
The last match, a 1-1 friendly draw with Mali, brought Diaz just 22 minutes, an attempt to cut the physical risk without losing his rhythm and to show he is ready should Mourinho feel the time is right.
Endrick shines and Vinicius is absent
A new name has muscled into Real Madrid's thinking: Endrick. He scored and impressed during the team's impossible comeback against Roma at the Olympic Stadium.
The Brazilian forward produced that display from the right-hand side, the very area Diaz has primarily occupied with the Madrid side.
Real Madrid will also be without Vinicius Junior for a spell, at least in La Liga, with a four-match suspension keeping him out of the competition until 21 November.
Diomande and Arda Guler are among the other options in the equation for the attacking positions behind the forwards.
Muscular pain or not, Diaz remains part of those calculations. He is clinging to his desire to stay among the team's options and refusing to surrender his place in the fight for minutes.
