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Three talking points ahead of Manchester City vs Real Madrid | Champions League Round of 16
With seven goals in their last two games, Real Madrid are at one of their few peaks of the season in terms of the squad cohesion, form, and unity.
The win over Manchester City at the Santiago Bernabeu was a result that not many would have expected, and to do so by a 3-0 margin only showed that Real Madrid can still be formidable on their day.
To make matters even better, Los Blancos retained that form at the weekend and scored four goals past Elche in La Liga, maintaining the momentum on their side.
Tomorrow, they take to the field for the second leg of the Round of 16 clash against Pep Guardiola’s side, and the only objective they will have in mind will be to enter the quarterfinals at any cost.
Madrid Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Manchester City vs Real Madrid.
A lead to fall back on
It is not often that a UEFA Champions League knockout clash feels done and dusted after a single leg, but something about Real Madrid’s fixture against Manchester City suggests the same.
Los Blancos, after all, demolished Manchester City by a 3-0 margin in the first-leg at the Santiago Bernabeu, and while that lead may not be enough, it is a healthy advantage to defend.
Pep Guardiola’s side will enter the game on Tuesday knowing full well that they have to deliver the game of their lives to turn around that deficit. While it is not impossible, however, it is clear that Real Madrid have one leg in the quarterfinals.
With the pressure firmly on the hosts, Real Madrid could perhaps play second-fiddle tomorrow, looking to hit out on the break after soaking in the pressure.
The defence, however, will have to be more alert than ever for every goal the hosts score on the night will down Los Blancos’ spirits and give Guardiola’s side belief that a comeback is on the cards.
To risk or not to risk Mbappe?
The big news ahead of the game midweek is the return of two mainstays to the squad – Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe.
Needless to say, the double boost comes as a massive positive for Alvaro Arbeloa’s plans, for the manager has made it very clear how much he values both stars and what they bring to the field.
What remains to be calculated, however, is whether either player should play and under what conditions they must be called onto the field.
For a game in the Champions League, it is clear that Arbeloa will want his best men on the job. The dilemma, however, arises from the fact that both players may well have been rushed to make it back in time for the big game.
Mbappe could have some minutes off the bench on the night, but if Arbeloa has the chance to get through the ninety minutes without his presence, that must be the priority.
After all, the Frenchman’s long-term fitness is the priority, and allowing him minutes as a formality at this point would appear unnecessary if the team are cruising to the next round.
The same decision and stance, needless to say, goes with Bellingham as well who has been absent for months now and will be relatively rusty.
Going for the offence
With a three-goal lead in the bag, it is but natural for the approach of Real Madrid to be a more measured and conservative one.
Preserving that lead, after all, would appear to be an easier task to accomplish compared to playing a completely neutral game with equal attacking opportunities.
Alvaro Arbeloa and Co., however, must move away from any such plans and go on the offensive on the night, for it remains in their best interest to score another goal and kill off the game.
Manchester City will likely commit all their resources in attack and leave spaces behind at the back, leaving Los Blancos with the right situation to capitalise on.
Even just one early goal on the night will take the aggregate score to 4-0 in Real Madrid’s favour and kill off any enthusiasm or dreams from the Premier League side.
It will thus be interesting to see what instructions Arbeloa hands out to the team come Tuesday and whether they go on the offensive or sit in a deep defensive block.
Features
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.
