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Three talking points ahead of Real Madrid vs Levante | La Liga MD 20
Real Madrid return home wounded, but are not expected to find any comfort facing their own fans tomorrow at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Having lost the Spanish Super Cup final against Barcelona and then being knocked out of the Copa del Rey by a relegation-threatened second-division side, Real Madrid return embarrassed and must expect a hostile atmosphere at their own home.
On the afternoon, they take on Levante in La Liga and their objective will be to stay within touching distance of Barcelona who currently have a four-point lead. It will, however, not be easy for a team in sporting and managerial jeopardy.
Madrid Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Real Madrid vs Levante.
Desperate need for a win
The past week has been one of the most disastrous ones in Real Madrid’s recent history for a big part of their season virtually crumbled in front of the team’s eyes as they helplessly watched it go down in flames.
Real Madrid’s defeat against Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup saw Los Blancos miss out on their first title of the season – one that would have gone a long way in rebuilding the team’s confidence and possibly saving Xabi Alonso’s job.
That defeat, however, broke the dressing room and led to massive changes on the sidelines – just before the team’s game against Albacete in the Copa del Rey.
Just days after losing the Super Cup final, Real Madrid shockingly lost to Albacete in the Cup and saw themselves eliminated from the tournament, thus removing one more trophy from their hopes.
With two gut-wrenching defeats, Real Madrid enter the game against Levante in desperate need of a win.
For starters, the dressing room needs a serious morale boost, and a win tomorrow will go some way in ensuring the same. Concurrently, however, La Liga is now the only domestic competition left for Real Madrid and they cannot afford to fall further behind Barcelona.
Big names return to the squad
Alvaro Arbeloa made some contentious decisions in the buildup to his first game as the Real Madrid first-team manager – right from his selection of the squad travelling to face Albacete.
While Kylian Mbappe’s rest was understandable given that he had rushed back to play some part against Barcelona, the manager left behind several mainstays and did not even include them on the squad list.
The likes of Jude Bellingham, Thibaut Courtois, and Alvaro Carreras were all rested in addition while the likes of Antonio Rudiger, Rodrygo and others missed through physical problems.
As Real Madrid prepare for the Levante clash, however, the new manager has called up the likes of Bellingham, Carreras, and Courtois back to the squad and all three players will likely return to the starting XI fresh.
Mbappe is back in the squad too and could see some minutes, although it is doubtful if he is fit enough to start.
Needless to say, that comes as a massive boost for the management and Arbeloa’s plans – not only in terms of upgrading the starting XI but also in terms of having valuable options on the bench.
A testing game for Vinicius
Kylian Mbappe’s absence, needless to say, shifts the spotlight on Vinicius Jr. who is naturally the next in charge as the team’s attacking talisman.
The Brazilian, however, has not done particularly well for the men in white in recent times and the pressure is slowly but surely building on him.
Vinicius’ moment of brilliance against Barcelona in the Super Cup final showed that he still has it in him and also served to partially take the pressure off his shoulders. The player, however, did not earn himself any favours with his Cup performance midweek.
Starting against Albacete, there was a real sense of expectation from Vinicius but he delivered an exceedingly poor display despite all the praises Arbeloa sang of him in the post-match press conference.
However, the Brazilian did not create many chances of value, did not create any direct goalscoring threat, and returns to the Santiago Bernabeu having failed to help the team stay alive in the Cup.
Vinicius has been booed at the Bernabeu in recent games, and nothing points to anything being different tomorrow. The game against Levante, in many ways, will be a test for him to prove his status as the team’s leader to the fans once more.
After all, there is a sense that fans are quickly running out of patience with his inconsistency and antics.
Real Madrid made a mess of their game against Elche last night, and it is clear that the men in white have several flaws with no answers at the moment.
From being 2-0 up, the men in white bottled their lead and threw the game into jeopardy by permitting Elche to score two goals. The result, as many saw it, was set to end in a draw.
With some persistent attacks in the dying minutes, however, Real Madrid managed to build pressure on Elche and eventually scored one more goal at the death to take home the three points.
Needless to say, however, the negatives from the game far outweigh the positive news of the three points.
Madrid Universal brings you three takeaways from Elche 2-3 Real Madrid.
Another second-half collapse
After Real Madrid’s win over Rayo Vallecano at the weekend, Jose Mourinho stressed the fact that Real Madrid actually played only one half and that the fatigue began showing after the break.
On the night, the opposition began to enjoy more dominance and create chances after half-time as they outran and outpressed Los Blancos to good effect.
Last night was no different, and the second half went completely awry.
The men in white entered the half-time break cruising with a 2-0 lead and significant dominance over the proceedings. They had a massive xG, with Elche barely creating any chances of note.
After the break, however, the entire dynamic of the game changed as Real Madrid took a step back and handed the impetus to the hosts. Pressing high and attacking without fear, Elche dominated Real Madrid for most of the second half and had a staggering 60% of possession.
They scored twice – in the 71st and 83rd minutes – and equalised Real Madrid on the night. Given the visitors’ shambolic display, it was deserved for Elche.
At this point, the constant second-half collapses and fatigue struggles of the team after just 45 minutes of action must worry Jose Mourinho immensely. Heading into a derby away from home, Real Madrid have to do much better.
The away curse continues
While Real Madrid’s form at home has been imperious this season, their form away from home has been equally shocking.
They began their season with a last-minute win over Espanyol, and their second league game of the season on the road came against Real Betis and ended in defeat.
Heading into their third away game last night, there was an element of worry about how they would perform, and the trend continued once more.
Real Madrid did well to take the lead on the night, but they made the second half a massive war and far more difficult than it should have been.
At this point, serious questions have to be raised about Real Madrid’s form on the road and their inability to keep games under control when playing in away stadiums.
Heading forward in the season, Los Blancos have some massive away games coming up against far more difficult opposition. The Madrid derby is up next, and the team’s form is nothing promising heading into that fixture.
Carlos Espi saves the day… again!
Real Madrid are currently on 15 points after six games in the league, but Carlos Espi has directly contributed to a massive chunk of that.
If not for the new Spanish striker’s ability to come up clutch in big moments, Real Madrid could well have been on just 11 points at this stage in the season, and the four points he has added are absolutely crucial.
Against Espanyol, it was Espi who scored a stoppage-time winner to hand Real Madrid all three points after a complicated match. Last night, he repeated the same heroics once more.
With the team staring at a draw, the new signing was at the right place at the right time to bury Kylian Mbappe’s assist in stoppage time, handing Real Madrid all three points at the death.
He may not have played a large part on the night, but his cameo was again powerful and it is clear that he elevates the team’s attack and provides new solutions in front of goal. Espi has already proven his talent, and his ability to perform under pressure is what makes him special.
