Since the start of the season, we have seen a fairly sluggish Real Madrid at work. For Carlo Ancelotti’s last season on the Madrid bench, the summer transfer window was not a real success. While they have, mathematically, replaced Karim Benzema with Joselu, the leaders of the capital club have created a squad that lacks weight offensively. Often saved by Jude Bellingham during the first meetings, the White House fell this Sunday during the Madrid derby (3-1) by not having shown anything interesting in the offensive phase.
Not helped by the injury of Vinicius Junior, injured since the third day of La Liga against Celta Vigo (0-1), Luka Modric’s teammates have very few viable replacements at left winger. Aligned in a two-man attack with the English midfielder, Rodrygo clearly missed his performance against the Colchoneros in a role that does not really suit him. Problem is, the Brazilian prodigy has been in difficulty since the start of the season and is struggling to regain the level he had during the two previous seasons.
A status threatened in the long term?
Indeed, scorer in the opening of the championship against Athletic Bilbao (0-2), the native of Osasco did not manage to continue. Although a starter in the Merengues’ six other matches, the 22-year-old did not find the back of the net and his lack of statistics weighs heavily on the contrasting results of the start of the Madrid season. Criticized by the Spanish press, Rodrygo knows that he will have to quickly make up his numbers if he wants to keep the favor of the Santiago Bernabéu. As a reminder, the player trained at Santos scored 19 goals last year when he compiled 9 in 2021-2022. From there to making him lose his place in the eleven in the long term? Not sure.
While Carlo Ancelotti is a fan of the player, the lack of alternatives is likely to force the Italian tactician to field Rodrygo to the point of exhaustion. Certainly disappointing for several weeks, the right winger can nevertheless restart the machine at any time. While his 4-4-2 diamond is criticized, the former PSG coach could then return to a 4-3-3 which has contributed to the great times of Real Madrid in recent years. In the meantime, as he confided in a press conference, Ancelotti wants to give freedom to Vinicius, who will make his return this Wednesday against Las Palmas (7 p.m.), and Rodrygo: “Rodrygo and Vinicius? I don’t tell them where to play when their teammates have the ball. I leave them free, it depends on their qualities.» With so much confidence, there is no doubt that the Auriverde international (16 caps, 4 goals) will quickly return to his usual standards.
