Real Madrid are worried. Despite a narrowly snatched first place in La Liga, Xabi Alonso’s team is going through a period where the content is no longer keeping up. Defeated by Liverpool in the Champions League then held to a draw by Rayo Vallecano before the international break, the Madrilenians hoped to get off to a solid start in Elche. But it was still a dull and disorganized performance that the championship leader delivered, unable to justify his status against a supposedly inferior team. The equalizer snatched in the last minutes only masked this poor performance a little (2-2).
However, the Spanish technician had tried to surprise by completely modifying his system. Xabi Alonso had cobbled together a 3-4-3, to compensate for the numerous defensive absences, notably with an Asencio-Huijsen-Carreras trio behind a very offensive line of four. A bold choice, but clearly risky. Real was rushed from the start, unable to get the ball out cleanly and even less to control the opposing transitions. Despite his goal, Dean Huijsen was too feverish defensively. Trent Alexander-Arnold was often overtaken in his lane. The Spaniard and the Englishman symbolized the difficulties of the Madrid rearguard, frequently on the verge of breakdown during this meeting.
Rodrygo lost, Mbappé ineffective, Vinícius messy: the attack is derailed
The offensive animation was not reassuring either. Starting with Rodrygo who remains weighed down by worrying inefficiency: still silent this Sunday, the Brazilian recorded his 29th consecutive match without scoring in La Liga. Kylian Mbappé had several opportunities, but lacked cutting edge. The captain of the France team played a third game without finding the net, a first since his arrival at the club. As for Vinícius Júnior, his entry into play brought nothing. Messy, individualistic, often annoyed and annoying, the 25-year-old winger above all slowed down the game instead of energizing it and embodied the offensive frustration of the Merengues. Long harmless despite sterile possession, Real saw Elche logically open the score, then regain the advantage after Huijsen’s lucky equalizer. Bellingham’s late equalizer was only a relief in this generally unsuccessful evening. Even the newcomers, supposed to energize the collective, have not really changed the situation.
And if Gonzalo Garcia missed the match point in stoppage time, the observation remained the same: this Real lacked ideas and control and left an impression of helplessness. Beyond the result (2-2), it is the structural fragility, the absence of offensive cohesion and the questionable choices of Xabi Alonso which raise questions. Real Madrid are taking the lead, of course, but are still stagnating. After the meeting, Xabi Alonso deciphered this poor performance and affirmed that he understood his group better and better: “ it’s football. After a good series, we suffered several defeats. We know what we want: we must continue to move forward. We are not satisfied, we always want to win. But we can’t be. There are many matches left, so we need to focus on the next one by analyzing our performance today. Relationships improve; we have more time and exchanges, we know each other better. We are all in this together, we celebrate victories and we suffer when we lose. Relations are good. We need to reverse the trend, starting with Athens. » It is now up to him to find the solution, if he does not wish to lose his locker room, he whose choices are not yet unanimous. First element of response this Wednesday on the Olympiakos pitch (9 p.m.).
