A small victory in the last five matches in all competitions. This is the sad record of Real Madrid since November 4 and this setback on the Liverpool pitch (0-1). Declared candidate for the La Liga title and considered one of the main names on the European scene, the Madrid club finally put together more than contrasting performances, like its new outing, Sunday evening, on the Girona lawn (1-1). Unable to make the difference and saved by a penalty from Kylian Mbappé – his 24th goal this season – Casa Blanca is, today, in second place in the Spanish championship and finds itself under pressure from Villarreal and Atlético de Madrid.
Arriving at Real Madrid with the reputation of a brilliant technician, Xabi Alonso arouses as much admiration as questions. Indeed, if the former Bayer Leverkusen coach relies on an already convincing CV, his choices raise questions, particularly in his management of the offensive rotation and his desire to field a midfielder, judged by many to be too homogeneous. Tactical limits once again highlighted on the Montilivi side during the 14th day. With a 4-3-3 where Federico Valverde, Aurélien Tchouameni and Jude Bellingham shared the midfield task, the Madrilenians came up against the rigorous block of Michel Sanchez Muñoz’s flock. From which to draw some lessons…
The change is (not yet) now
Indeed, if the new coach of the Merengues continues to rely on players who are very comfortable in handling the ball, technically clean and solid in positional play, this homogeneity – which certainly allows us to take control of the meetings – presents numerous limits: inability to create the additional shift, lack of projections, weak verticality… Result? Real struggles in the last thirty meters and its (too) lateral play is often perfectly read by opposing defenses. The entry of Eduardo Camavinga, more forward-leaning, also allowed the Madrilenians to regain a certain verticality. What can we also say about the offensive sector… Placing – once again – his confidence in the Vinicius Jr-Mbappé-Güler trio, Xabi Alonso spent yet another frustrating evening this Sunday evening in Catalonia.
Image generation in progress
The situation is simple: of the 14 attempts by the attacking trio lined up at kick-off, only two found the target of Paulo Gazzaniga. For the rest? Mbappé and Vinicius Jr lost 36 balls (18 each), while Güler stood out for his lack of impact (0 shots on target, 0 successful crosses, 4 lost balls in 45 minutes). Appearing frustrated on numerous occasions, the 43-year-old Spaniard has nevertheless changed nothing, or almost nothing. Brahim Díaz, Endrick and Franco Mastantuono – once again – heated the bench. Rodrygo – close to obtaining a penalty – was only entitled to 17 short minutes and Gonzalo Garcia came on for added time… So yes, we don’t change a team that is winning, but what do we do Mr. Alonso when the latter has just scored a third consecutive draw in La Liga? Wednesday evening, in San Mamés, the defense will have the floor.
