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Diomande’s debut, Guler’s cameo, Goalscoring duo | Three takeaways from Real Madrid 4-1 Rayo Vallecano
Real Madrid’s win over Inter Milan midweek was appreciated and criticised at the same time, primarily because they seemingly escaped from defeat and dished out a poor showing.
Last night, Real Madrid partially turned that situation around by dominating Rayo Vallecano throughout the first-half and killing the game early on, eventually registering a 4-1 win.
There were reasons for worry to take away from the game, primarily the team’s lack of energy after the break, and inability to hold on to possession and create chances of importance.
However, as the manager reiterated in his press conference, his team’s style is not one where they build up to goals but one where pace and counters rule. In that sense, Los Blancos dished out a strong performance.
Madrid Universal brings you three takeaways from Real Madrid 4-1 Rayo Vallecano.
It’s always them
Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham have been carrying Real Madrid’s attack almost single-handedly so far this season, and last night was no different.
The Frenchman was the one to open the scoring for Los Blancos from the penalty spot after Álvaro Carreras went down in the box, and then went on to produce a brilliant link-up play with the defender for the team’s second goal.
With a goal and an assist to his name already, Mbappe then struck in added time in the second half to complete the demolition of Rayo Vallecano with another perfect finish, and even hit the post once in the game.
Jude Bellingham, meanwhile, got on the end of Vinicius Jr.’s cut-back and hit it brilliantly first-time to slot it past the goalkeeper and register his name on the scoresheet.
At this point, it has become customary for both stars to score for Real Madrid and they are devastating in the final third. While it may be worrying that the team does not have any other major goalscoring outlets, the duo have proven to be reliable and consistent.
Yan Diomande’s full debut
The inclusion of Yan Diomande in the starting lineup last night caught the attention of fans across the globe, for it marked the player’s first start for Real Madrid since his arrival at the club.
With Arda Guler and Brahim Diaz performing impressively on the right-wing in recent games, there was serious pressure on Diomande to make the most of his start/
While he may not have registered a goal or an assist on the night, his performance was impressive and he left a mark with the energy and pace he brought.
In 72 minutes against Rayo Vallecano, Diomande was reliable on the ball and completed 92% of his attempted passes. He also racked up two key passes and had an xA of 0.09.
The new signing completed three of four attempted dribbles and two of three attempted crosses, showing that he can be a reliable creator from out wide.
He also put in a solid defensive shift and worked hard off the ball, winning three of three attempted tackles, making two interceptions and winning a staggering nine duels on the night.
A goal or an assist would have made his debut special, but there was a lot of promise in what he showed. There is, however, still a palpable difference in output between him and the other options the manager has trusted, and he has a long way to go.
Arda Guler kills the game
When Diomande left the field in the 72nd minute, it was Arda Guler who came on as his replacement on the right-wing. His arrival, in many ways, turned the game completely around.
Indeed, Real Madrid were already leading by a 3-1 margin at the time and had the game almost sealed. However, the second-half was anything but easy for the men in white.
The Merengues dropped in intensity after the break and did not operate at the same level as they did in the first-half. They appeared fatigued, and there was no energy in the team’s press.
As a result, Rayo Vallecano grew into the game and began creating opportunities of their own and even dominated the play for the first phase of the second half.
Guler’s entry, however, changed everything and brought the dominance back to Real Madrid’s court. Almost immediately, Los Blancos had a sense of purpose and began creating chances at the other end, taking the steam out of Rayo Vallecano’s sail.
In just 18 minutes and added time, Guler provided the assist for Mbappe’s second goal and had a staggering five key passes for Real Madrid. He also created two big chances and two accurate crosses.
Jose Mourinho admitted in his post-game press conference that Guler makes the team instantly better, and it is safe to say that the player currently has the right-wing role locked in for the big nights.
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Clean sheet at last, Vinicius’ moment of madness | Three takeaways from Real Madrid 1-0 Villarreal
Real Madrid took all three points against Villarreal on Saturday night to get back on track after the international break, and thus ensured they did not continue sinking after the defeat at the Madrid derby.
Jose Mourinho made some bold decisions in his starting XI as he benched Vinicius Jr., playing Yan Diomande on the left-flank and Arda Guler on the right flank.
The dynamics worked out decently well, and it was eventually the new record signing who scored for the club to hand them the lead and the win.
Compared to performances before the international break, there was an improvement in terms of Real Madrid’s level, but the team are still far off from where they must be to make a strong case to be title contenders.
Madrid Universal brings you three takeaways from Real Madrid 1-0 Villarreal.
The struggle continues
All of Real Madrid’s season so far has been of struggles and difficult wins, and the same theme continued last night as the team returned from the international break.
Los Blancos have failed to look convincing for a long time now, and they did not dominate Villarreal in any capacity last night as well.
Continuing with the same theme of winning by narrow margins and scraping past the finish line, they registered yet another 1-0 win that did not leave anyone convinced.
Yan Diomande’s goal was the only positive takeaway from the night, and even that was made possible only after a narrow offside decision went in their favor. With the firepower they have, struggling to create chances to such an extent seems inexcusable.
With a difficult month ahead, last night’s game did not give fans any reason to believe matters have changed after the international break. At this rate, the coming month could be a bleak one for Los Blancos.
Vinicius’ moment of madness
Of all the events that transpired at the Santiago Bernabeu last night, the most memorable one was the incident involving Vinicius Jr.’s goal, and embarrassingly so.
Having seemingly scored a great goal ten minutes after Diomande’s opener, the Brazilian star was on his way to celebrate the achievement, but what unfolded thereafter was embarrassing.
The VAR found an incident of Vinicius pulling the hair of a Villarreal player for no apparent reason in the build-up to the goal, and at this point there can be no arguments defending the player’s behavior.
As one of the biggest names of one of Europe’s biggest clubs, there has to be a sense of responsibility in one’s role – something Vinicius simply does not seem to have. What he did last night was simply inexcusable.
A lot can be said about VAR’s selective interference, but what cannot be argued is that what Vinicius did last night was a clear red card offense.
He will now miss El Clasico and will serve at least a two-game suspension. Whether that is a boon or a bane for Real Madrid, at this point, remains unknown and only time will tell.
A clean sheet at last
Ahead of last night’s win over Villarreal, Real Madrid had only overseen one clean sheet in eight games across competitions.
In that sense, simply keeping the opposition from scoring last night was an achievement in itself for Los Blancos, and it could not have come at a better time.
Real Madrid entered the game without many of their regular defenders available, especially with Dean Huijsen suspended and Eder Militao and Raul Asencio out through injury.
Ibrahima Konate and Antonio Rudiger, thus, started in central defense on the night and both did phenomenally well for Los Blancos. They were joined by Alvaro Carreras and Trent Alexander-Arnold, both of whom complemented the duo well.
The right-back was a relatively weak link defensively, but Konate and Rudiger were spot-on with their reading of the game to keep the Villarreal attack from scoring. They both did eventually pick up yellow cards, but Villarreal finished the game without a single big chance created.
Finding defensive stability, which is the cornerstone of Mourinho’s project, is massive for the manager, and he will be pleased to have a new working formula.
What happens after Huijsen’s return, however, remains to be seen, as the manager may well like to hand the new duo some more chances to prove their consistency.
