Real Madrid handed Girona a thumping 3-0 defeat at Estadi Montilivi last night and bounced back perfectly from the defeat to Athletic Club midweek.
Once again, the Merengues suffered a sloppy start and were under pressure in the opening period. Jude Bellingham’s opener, however, eased the tension and brought back the momentum.
Arda Guler doubled the lead at the 55-minute mark for Los Blancos and provided some much-needed breathing space while Kylian Mbappe got a much-needed goal later in the game to put the final nail in the coffin.
The result has massive implications, both in the title race and in the dressing room. After all, the men in white have a relatively must-win clash against Atalanta midweek and can now enter that game with confidence.
Madrid Universal brings you three talking points from Girona 0-3 Real Madrid.
Bellingham is back
Jude Bellingham opened the scoring against Girona. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
Just when it seemed that Real Madrid had lost the version of Jude Bellingham that they enjoyed last season, the midfielder has come back and in some style.
The Englishman has been on fire for Real Madrid over the past month and his renewed form, in part, has to do with a slightly altered role on the field.
Given the freedom to venture into the final third like last season, Bellingham has begun to thrive once more and it was a change the Merengues desperately needed in their difficult moment.
Last night, the midfielder was the team’s best player on the field. Playing 60 minutes, he scored the opener in the 36th minute before assisting Arda Guler early in the second half.
In addition, Bellingham produced three key passes, won 100% of his duels and completed 86% of his passes and the manager should be thrilled that the midfielder is stepping up.
Having now scored in his last five league games, Bellingham is on a hot streak that no other player in La Liga has achieved this season.
What’s more, is that his co-ordination with Kylian Mbappe is on a positive trend and their partnership is only growing. The one concern for Ancelotti, however, will be to integrate Vinicius Jr. into their dynamic.
An interesting defensive shuffle
Raul Asencio was rested by Carlo Ancelotti. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
The biggest surprise from Real Madrid’s starting lineup at Estadi de Montilivi was the manager’s decision to bench Raul Asencio for Aurelien Tchouameni and the move was questioned for multiple reasons.
For starters, the Frenchman has not enjoyed a strong campaign this season and was disastrous in the team’s last game playing in his natural position in midfield.
Asencio, in comparison, has been one of the team’s most surprising pieces this campaign and stepped up to the occasion to prove his defensive capabilities at a time of dire need.
The manager confirmed after the game that his decision had nothing to do with favouritism and it was simply because Asensio required time to recover in the hectic schedule.
He will return for the team’s next game, and one can look toward the silver lining in the department that Tchouameni did well as a fill-on.
Paired alongside Antonio Rudiger last night, the French midfielder was solid in central defence and much improved in his distribution. Arguably, he was more reassuring and confident in defence last night than he was in midfield at San Mames.
Ancelotti has a surplus of resources in midfield and a dire shortage in defence. Tchouameni’s ability to cover in the position, irrespective of the pecking order, can only come as good news for the Real Madrid faithful as it adds much-needed depth.
The lead is within grasp
Real Madrid are closing in on Barcelona. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
Barcelona slipped up against Real Betis yesterday at the Benito Villamarin as a late equaliser forced them to drop two points.
That implies that Real Madrid’s win helped them get two points closer to the league leaders, and in fact, turn the situation around.
After last night’s games, Barcelona continue to be in pole position with 38 points having played 17 matches. Real Madrid, meanwhile, are closely following with 36 points after 16 matches played.
The men in white thus have a game in hand over the Blaugrana and can climb to the pole position if they win over Valencia unless something drastically changes.
Barcelona are currently struggling in the league and look out of sorts, and with Atletico Madrid still ahead of them in December, may still drop points in the race. For Real Madrid, thus, it is now about keeping up their momentum and ensuring the gap stays alive.
With their spare game scheduled for the first week of January, they can climb to the lead even if Barcelona will all their remaining games. The league title defence is in their hands and it will be up to the dressing room to retain the control.