Despite travelling to Seville with the Real Madrid squad, Marcelo didn't move from the bench against Real Betis as Santiago Solari made a big decision to leave him out.
There was no sign of annoyance on the Brazilian's part though, as he celebrated Dani Ceballos' winning goal even though he wasnt' one of the 14 players to get on the pitch.
Marcelo's absence is new, but, following the whistles at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu a week earlier, it is something that has been coming for some time, even as far back as the European Super Cup loss against Atletico Madrid.
Julen Lopetegui replaced him in Girona after a poor performance and the Brazilian responded in the mixed zone but when Lopetegui looked away, Solari looked him in the face.
After being rested against Leganes, possibly to protect him from the whistles, Marcelo was expected to start.
Madrid surprisingly lined up in a 3-5-2, which would have suited the Brazilian, but he remained with Isco on the bench and Sergio Reguilon occupied his position.
Coaches haven't been shy in admitting publicly that they are targeting Marcelo as a weakness when he plays, putting him in his worst spell at Madrid.
After a week off, he is expected to return to the starting XI against Leganes in the Copa del Rey and it will be interesting to see if he returns against Sevilla or if Reguilon retains his place
klcom
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Let's see, we do not stop saying that the team needs changes, that the starters have not given the stature in all the season, nor the past nor in the League, and now that there are changes this campaign is mounted? What if Isco, what if Marcelo ... hey, they are not changes? Is that right now there are no more, and in summer there will be outings and entries, but right now we have what we have, and if Isco and Marcelo are not well, so bad is to give opportunity to other players? Solari seems to me an average trainer, but in that sense I give him the reason, if we continued without touching anything of the holders, we would be lower still I believe.