If you think he can have no-knee Fati, Ferret, and not-a-winger Raphinha playing tiki-taka with the injured/suspended.tired mids then you're out of your mind. Our backline/defense is CL level so of course it makes sense to park the bus.
If RM wins again, then suddenly one of Benzema or Vinicius become a big contender. CL does factor in, but I agree it's mostly about individual given he won in 2019 too.
Also his loss is huge, due to his presence requiring 1 or more defenders to actively mark him. We no longer have a (perceived) goal scoring threat in the team anymore. There is no one else in the squad that actually specializes in scoring. Now would've been a good time to have Auba and Memphis
So how are so many players injured on this team compared to other clubs that had a lot of players in WC? What are these players eating, drinking? What do their trainings look like? Just rondas, sprints, and no weightlifting?