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Three takeaways from Real Madrid 4-1 Las Palmas
When Las Palmas scored in just the first minute of their clash against Real Madrid on Sunday, it appeared the men in white would be in for yet another long day.
What followed, however, was an absolute destruction of the Canary Islands-based side as Real Madrid ruthlessly put four goals past them and could well have put four more.
In 90 minutes, Carlo Ancelotti’s side created an xG of 5.90, had nine big chances and took a staggering 25 shots on the night. They were not uncomfortable at any point in the game and made a statement after their rocky start to the year.
Madrid Universal brings you three takeaways from Real Madrid 4-1 Las Palmas.
No Vinicius, no problem
Vinicius Jr.’s suspension against Las Palmas did not affect Real Madrid’s plans or attack in the slightest, and that is the biggest positive for Carlo Ancelotti to take away from last night’s performance.
In the Brazilian’s absence, Kylian Mbappe, Rodrygo and Brahim Diaz all stepped up cumulatively to steer Real Madrid to a comeback win. To each player, the game meant something special.
Mbappe has been on his way back to his best for a while now. It was not an easy start to the season for the Frenchman, but last night’s game was the first time it looked like he took matters into his own hands and stepped up.
In ninety minutes, Mbappe scored two goals, hit the woodwork twice, had five shots on target and completed two dribbles. He even completed a first-half hat-trick but was unlucky to be denied by VAR.
To add to his impressive display in front of goal, he racked up a staggering five key passes and created two big chances as well, rounding up a complete performance that he can be proud of.
The man-of-the-match winner’s performance was complemented by a good showing from Rodrygo who made a strong statement that he does not deserve to be dropped from the starting lineup.
The Brazilian also got on the scoresheet once, provided one assist and had four key passes to his name.
The warrior returns
399 days after he went down injured with an ACL injury, David Alaba returned to the field last night and there is nothing Carlo Ancelotti will celebrate more than the veteran’s return.
It has been a difficult year for the Austrian star as he faced roadblocks at every step in his recovery. After missing multiple deadlines and at one point even rumoured to be considering retiring from the sport, Alaba’s return last night was an emotional moment.
The clock read 76 minutes when Ancelotti signalled for the veteran to get on the field. Antonio Rudiger made his way off the grasses and Alaba stepped on to a rousing cheer and one hopes it marked the start of something special.
He played 14 minutes in Real Madrid’s win over Las Palmas, completing 93% of his passes and not being forced to make any key defensive intervention.
Ancelotti and Co. will be careful so as to avoid repeating what happened in Eder Militao’s case. Alaba will be phased in gradually over the next month before being placed as a starter.
Yet, it can only be good news for the manager that he finally has two first-team centre-backs whom he can count on as starters. The Alaba-Rudiger pairing will be back for the business end of the season and one cannot help but be excited.
Leaders at last
The three points against Diego Martinez’s side are worth their weight in gold. In many ways, it may go down as Real Madrid’s most significant win yet in the competition.
It was an eventful week in La Liga as Atletico dropped three points to Leganes and Barcelona only managed a draw against Getafe at Coliseum Alfonso Perez.
Real Madrid’s win, thus, takes them clear of Atletico Madrid on to 46 points and establishes them as clear leaders.
With 20 games played in the league, Los Blancos are two points ahead of their neighbours and a full seven points clear of Barcelona who have been in a rut domestically. The reflection of their hard work on the standings is an indication that they are on the right track.
As reiterated by the manager after the game, Real Madrid may not play the best or most attractive brand of football. What they do know to do, however, is win and they did just that last night, albeit in grand style.
The league title is now theirs to lose. There is indeed a long way to go, but Real Madrid are now the favourites to defend their domestic crown.
The derby weekend is here as Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid are set to lock horns on Sunday afternoon at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano.
After an eventful transfer window and a stuttering start, Atletico Madrid reaffirmed their position as genuine title contenders and have done decently well so far this season.
With four wins, a draw and a defeat to their name, they sit on 13 points after six games.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, have only had one defeat and are on 15 points after as many games, only behind Barcelona who sit on a perfect record.
Diego Simeone’s men had a shaky start to the season, but have picked up steam in recent weeks with seven goals scored and none conceded in their last two games.
Given their strong record against Real Madrid at home, they will look to take all three points tomorrow.
Madrid Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid.
A test away from home
It is no secret that Real Madrid’s form on the road this season has been poor, not necessarily for the results themselves but how the team have conducted themselves in away grounds.
For the first time in years, there appears to be a sense of uncertainty around Los Blancos’ ability to produce results away from home.
For long periods in the game, they appear willing to hand over the momentum, and the resultant pressure has seen them collapse.
A last-gasp winner from Carlos Espi handed them the win against Espanyol away from home, and they went on to lose against Real Betis in their second away fixture of the season.
Most recently, they bottled a 2-0 lead against Elche and again required a stoppage-time winner from Espi to take the three points.
Tomorrow’s game, in that sense, is extremely challenging, for it is not only away from home but against an opposition of high quality.
Playing Atletico Madrid at the Metropolitano is as challenging as games get, and Real Madrid have an extremely poor record at the venue.
Since 2017, Real Madrid have only won twice at the Metropolitano with three defeats and three draws. Last season, they suffered a 5-2 defeat and the game went on to break the team’s momentum.
Heading into such a tricky clash with an ongoing crisis away from home makes Sunday’s clash very complicated for the Merengues.
Arda Guler has to return
After a long time, Jose Mourinho took the Yan Diomande experiment to the next level and handed the player back-to-back starts for Real Madrid.
Clearly, the new signing still has a long way to go in terms of his adaptation, but he has been promising as an attacking outlet in his few appearances.
Diomande started both against Rayo Vallecano and Elche, but there is a strong case to drop him for the Madrid derby and play Arda Guler instead.
The Turkish international was on the bench against Rayo Vallecano and played as a No. 10 against Elche, with Jude Bellingham rested. Now, with the Englishman set to return, the manager has a decision to make.
Mourinho has made it clear that he wishes to ease Diomande into Real Madrid’s dynamics to reduce the pressure on his shoulders. Fielding him from the start in a derby would contradict that idea.
Beyond that, however, Guler has shown far more utility and promise as an attacking and creative outlet than Diomande, making the right-wing decision quite clear for the manager.
Real Madrid with and without Guler have been two completely different stories this season, and the team will require every last bit of creative inspiration that he has in him to get past Atletico Madrid tomorrow afternoon.
There is also a case for Brahim Diaz to be brought in, and the Moroccan star is also probably ahead of Diomande on the pecking order. Guler, however, stands out as a top option even ahead of Brahim.
Eyes on Vinicius Jr.
For years, Vinicius Jr. has always utilised the big stages to make his statements, for he has been a player to speak through performances and not words.
For instance, he scored a stunning solo goal last season against Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup at a time when he was least expected to do so. At that point, he had not scored in 16 straight games, but the big moment called out to him.
It is clear that the Brazilian is not going through his best moment right now once again. The past few weeks have been hard on him, especially after he did well at the World Cup and returned to Madrid with higher expectations on him.
So far this season, Vinicius has only scored one goal in seven games. Beyond the goals, however, he has not looked like his usual threatening self on the flank and has not created half as many chances as he usually would.
Such is the player’s situation that his place in the team is being called into doubt for the first time in years. After all, Yan Diomande can play on the left and showed glimpses of his ability in the previous game.
All eyes, thus, will be on Vinicius on Sunday to see if he can step up to the occasion and make his presence felt when it really matters. He has always been one for the big stage, and tomorrow’s stage is the biggest yet this season.
