Features
Three talking points ahead of Union Berlin vs Real Madrid | La Liga
The UEFA Champions League is back after a two-week hiatus and returns with a critical match-day where a lot stands to be decided. As the curtains rise on the night teams fight for their very survival in the competition, Real Madrid are faced with a trip to Germany to take on Union Berlin.
The last time the two teams met was back in September. On the night, the Germans pulled off a defensive masterclass to pile the pressure on Carlo Ancelotti’s men and push for a draw.
Yet, their hope was crushed by a single moment of magic from Jude Bellingham. The Real Madrid star-boy scored in the 94th minute of the game to break German hearts and hand them a defeat in the opening game of the season.
Madrid Universal brings you three talking points from Union Berlin vs Real Madrid.
Making amends
Real Madrid’s fixture at the weekend was tricky. Los Blancos were faced against Real Betis at Benito Villamarin and were made to work hard throughout the ninety minutes against the in-form hosts.
Ancelotti’s men did eventually get the lead through Jude Bellingham but Los Verdiblancos found a means to strike back with a jaw-dropping goal from distance. The play that followed saw both sides push high in attack for a winner, and it is safe to say that the draw was deserved.
As Ancelotti pointed out in his post-match press conference, the 1-1 result was not seen with very critical eyes by the management. Yet, it did have serious implications for the league standings.
Real Madrid’s hiccup at the weekend gave Girona the chance to take the sole lead in La Liga with a win over Barcelona. Michel’s men pulled off the result, and are thus the sole leaders by a whole two points after 16 match days.
If the draw teaches one lesson, thus, it would have to be the sheer perfection demanded in today’s world of football. Every point dropped can prove pivotal, for there is no room for error.
Los Blancos will thus look to return to winning ways tomorrow night. Taking on Union Berlin in the UEFA Champions League, the game provides them with the perfect platform to hit back and get back on song.
The final Matchday
The Merengues have been simply unstoppable in the UEFA Champions League this season. Drawn alongside Napoli, SC Braga, and Union Berlin, it was not going to be easy for Ancelotti’s men, yet they sit comfortably at the top of the table.
Five matchdays into the UCL calendar, Real Madrid sit on a staggering 15 points. They have won all five of their group stage encounters so far, and in the process, have guaranteed their position as table-toppers.
Their lead over the second-placed Napoli is a staggering seven points, and that only goes to show their dominance in this year’s competition.
Tuesday night brings forth the team’s final challenge at this stage of the competition. The result is seemingly meaningless for the men in white from a qualification scenario, but they will be eager to make it six out of six at An der alten Forsterei in Berlin.
Rotations at the forefront
Having played less than 72 hours ago, the midweek clash comes very early for Real Madrid. That, coupled with the team’s already guaranteed qualification, places Ancelotti in a favourable position from a rotations standpoint.
One can thus expect wholesale changes from the manager on the night, beginning from the staff in goal. After a run of six strong games, Andriy Lunin will start on the bench on the night with Kepa Arrizabalaga taking his place as confirmed by the manager.
Antonio Rudiger is likely the man in defence who enjoys a hiatus. Nacho Fernandez should take the German star’s place in the lineup alongside David Alaba. Fran Garcia and Lucas Vazquez will take over as the full-backs.
Considering the deficit of resources in the middle of the park, Ancelotti could opt to hand young Nico Paz his first start for the senior team. The youngster has made a strong impression in his recent cameos and he could play on the left of the midfield-four.
The final rotation one can expect is the return of Joselu to the starting lineup. After all, Rodrygo deserves the rest after a hectic set of games, giving the Spanish striker a chance to prove his mettle on the big stage.
Roma made Real Madrid suffer for over 80 minutes on Wednesday night, and with a 3-1 lead, looked good for the win.
A flurry of set-pieces and accurate conversion, however, saved Los Blancos and helped them take all three points against the run of play.
The true depth of the club’s forward line was on full show on the night as Kylian Mbappe, Endrick and Carlos Espi all scored for Real Madrid and contributed to the 4-1 win.
What the result once again proved, however, is that the team under Jose Mourinho continues to have severe lacunae that will be punished by any elite European opposition.
Madrid Universal brings you three takeaways from Roma 3-4 Real Madrid.
A mess of an encounter
Real Madrid simply seem incapable of winning a game of football without suffering and making a massive mess out of it at this point, and the win last night did not change that perspective in any sense.
Los Blancos were outplayed by Roma for the major part of the night as the hosts played with more intent, attacking freedom and possession against Real Madrid.
Jose Mourinho’s men have been unconvincing on the road this season, and last night appeared set to go down as another defeat until a massive turn of events in the final ten minutes.
Earning back-to-back set pieces, Real Madrid managed to convert a 3-1 deficit into a 4-3 win, but that does not speak to the team’s dominance in any capacity.
In the past, such a remontada would be celebrated as a mark of the team’s mentality, but those feelings do not seem to predominate this time around. Instead, the game is largely being viewed as an outing that exposed Real Madrid’s problems once again, but where they got fortunate enough to take three points.
The signs, at this point, continue to be extremely worrying and Mourinho and Co. have a lot of effort to put in if they are to overturn the team’s situation.
Substitutes outperform the starters
Jose Mourinho’s starting lineup against Roma was a representation of the mental picture the manager has of the team – and was his ‘strongest’ XI on paper.
Summer signings Marc Cucurella and Ibrahima Konate started in defence alongside Antonio Rudiger and Denzel Dumfries.
The ‘Gala’ midfield of Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde joined Jude Bellingham in midfield while Yan Diomande, Vinicius Jr. and Kylian Mbappe all started.
Despite all the big names featuring from the get-go, however, Real Madrid simply failed to create any passage of dominant play, nor did they create regular openings to score. Instead, they remained on the back foot comfortably, and matters only changed after substitutions rolled in.
Mourinho brought on Endrick and Arda Guler at the hour mark, replacing Vinicius and Dumfries, and thereby increased the attacking intensity. With Guler on the field, the team finally had a creative spark and Endrick constantly threatened the box.
Slightly later, the coach brought on Bernardo Silva for Aurelien Tchouameni, handing the team far more stability and control in midfield and restoring some level of order.
The arrivals of Carlos Espi and Alvaro Carreras in the 78th minute finally freed Real Madrid and they managed to pull off the comeback.
Every single one of the players who came on played a significant part in the comeback, be it the stability and creativity Silva and Guler offered or the attacking solutions Endrick and Espi brought. Even Carreras was an upgrade over Marc Cucurella.
How much disarray is too much disarray?
Given how Real Madrid’s midfield has looked this season, there will inevitably come a point when Jose Mourinho pulls the plug on the Valverde-Tchouameni plan.
The manager currently sees the duo as his best defensive midfield combination for the big games, but the disarray in midfield is growing with every game and the duo are unable to provide the control Real Madrid requires.
A breaking point, in that sense, will certainly arrive, but the bigger question is how much disarray is required for the manager to pull the plug on a plan that is clearly not working.
Against Roma last night, the game changed completely after Bernardo Silva came on for Tchouameni, and that alone shows how glaring the midfield problem currently is.
Not only did the Tchouameni-Valverde pairing struggle to keep possession, but they offered no attacking edge or creative spark and even looked shaky defensively.
There is an urgent need to bring the likes of Guler and Bernardo Silva into the starting dynamics for Real Madrid, and only time will tell when Mourinho will decide he has seen enough.
