Real Madrid were held on the road in La Liga for a fourth time this season as they failed to find a way past Rayo Vallecano, who initially took a 2-0 lead at Vallecas as Unai López and Abdul Munin scored headers before Fede Valverde and Jude Bellingham drew the scoreline back level. Rodrygo then gave Los Blancos the lead, but Isi Palazón equalised for the home side only eight minutes later and neither side was able to find a winner on the night.
Three answers
1. Would Vinícius be ready to start two games so close together?
After several weeks on the sidelines, Vinícius Júnior exploded back onto the scene in Italy in midweek as he got himself on the scoresheet in the 3-2 win over Atalanta. However, with this being the first of three remaining games in a week before the winter break, there were question marks over whether the Brazilian would be risked in such close succession to the game in the Champions League. Carlo Ancelotti decided not to take any risks, instead benching Vini in order to give him a rest. The coach probably didn’t want to be forced to bring him into the action just after the hour mark, and you could see why. Vini did create one fantastic chance, and produced one late shot on target, but looked frustrated and lacking the slight edge which makes his game so unique. The yellow card, his fifth of the season in La Liga and earning him a suspension, was needless. The benefit of that suspension is that he’ll only play one more game between now and early January. A two week break after the Intercontinental Cup final against Pachuca could do him good.
2. Who would play at right-back?
Lucas Vázquez has struggled since he came into the team to replace Dani Carvajal following his long-term injury earlier this season. There was talk after the game against Atalanta that Carlo Ancelotti could consider alternatives, with Fede Valverde and Raúl Asencio among those suggested, but the Italian stuck with his veteran 33-year-old. However, Vázquez did little to support his own case. All three goals conceded came down Real Madrid’s right flank, and the first two Rayo Vallecano goals directly involved Vázquez being beaten in the air as Rayo seemed to be targeting him directly with his lack of aerial presence. It was a tactic which worked for them and Real Madrid did nothing to address it.
3. Would Vallecas prove a banana skin once again?
Before this game, Real Madrid hadn’t won in either of their previous two visits to the south of the Spanish capital and the Estadio Municipal de Vallecas. A 1-0 win in 2022, courtesy of an 83rd minute strike from Karim Benzema, was the only time that Real Madrid have won their since 2016. It is no surprise that heading into the cauldron that is Vallecas, one of the tightest and most compact stadiums in La Liga with one of the most raucous supports, proves to be a challenge for Real Madrid. That’s even more accurate when it’s the case that Real Madrid are fielding a number of players who may not usually be featuring in these positions. The side has looked prone to defensive mistakes of late, and the high press set up from Rayo forced not only mistakes defensively, but also to prevent Real Madrid from building up play fluidly. A third game at Vallecas without a win is an unsurprising streak of poor results from Real Madrid at one of their cursed grounds.
Three questions
1. How should Carlo Ancelotti line up when his two stars aren’t available?
Carlo Ancelotti seems as lost as anyone as to how to set up his team this season. Whereas the full duration of last season was played with slight variations of the same 4-3-3 system, this campaign has already seen a wide range of shapes and structures. This time, we saw perhaps the most unpredictable, with Brahim Díaz, Arda Güler, Rodrygo Goes and Jude Bellingham all taking up offensive roles. The system struggled, which may not be a surprise given that the players could not have trained with such a system more than twice during the course of the week after midweek Champions League action. In any case, the yellow card for Vinícius means that Ancelotti will have to do it again when the team take on Sevilla next weekend for the final La Liga game of 2024. It will be intriguing to see if Ancelotti sticks with the same system he used here again or if he mixes things up.
2. Did Rodrygo prove himself as capable?
One of the positives of the night was the role of Rodrygo Goes, himself starting for the first time since his latest injury set-back. It was only his third start since early November, but the Brazilian seemed to step up in the absence of his usual forward line companions. He led the stats in terms of completed dribbles with four, and chances created with three. He also provided the cross for Jude Bellingham’s equalising header on the stroke of half-time and then gave Los Blancos the lead early in the second half with a wonderful individual goal, finding a yard of space on a crowded edge of the box and then placing the ball into the top corner. If Real Madrid need goals and need to find a way of scoring without Vinícius and Mbappé, Rodrygo is their next best bet and he’s living up to expectations.
3. Where would Real Madrid be without Jude Bellingham?
At times this season, it has felt like Bellingham is Real Madrid’s best attacker, best midfielder, and even best defender. He has proved to be the man for the big moment time and time again and did so again at Vallecas, appearing at just the right time to equalise on the stroke of half-time with a crucial header. Bellingham looks tireless and continues to improve and seems to be gaining more and more momentum as the season goes on, but there is a story to be learned from 2023/24. Last season, he was also on fire at this stage of the season, but quickly tired as the season moved to its closing stages. Now may not be the time to rest Bellingham, given the number of offensive players already unavailable, but Ancelotti must consider how to manage the game time of such a key player to avoid running him into the ground before the business end of the season.