“ What we Learned” A new post-game piece from Managing Madrid with key takeaways or narrative shifts following each match. It will be a quick-hitting format: 3-4 clear lessons or learnings, with short intros and focused analysis. Balance between tactical depth and digestibility.
Feels like much of this piece could be a simple copy and paste from the last match against Al Hilal. Rather than changing narratives, the game against Pachuca helped further reinforce some ideas:
Gonzalo Garcia: First-Team Caliber
Gonzalo is a first-team player. He has passed the interview phase with flying colors. These matches, where he is starting for Real Madrid in a competitive fixtures, can accelerate a career three-fold. Despite the pressure, the 21-year-old has stepped up to the plate. His intelligent one-touch layoffs and deft flicks created the best opportunities in the game.
He also showed his versatility, moving to the wings after Xabi’s instructions to Vinicius on defensive positioning fell on deaf ears. (On more than one occasion, you could hear Alonso even through the TV—screaming for Vini to maintain shape and block passing lanes, which he failed to do.) Throughout Gonzalo’s youth career with Spain and his first season at Castilla, he featured prominently both on the right and left wing.
Where his box presence stood out against Al Hilal, it was his target play and ability to free runners with a single touch that stood out here. His role may start to diminish with Mbappé’s reintroduction to the team, but his stock is on the rise and Xabi Alonso and his staff must be happy with his output.
Midfield Goals – Coincidence?
All three goals against Pachuca came from second-man runs from midfield. Time and again last season, we saw Real Madrid on the receiving end of those goals as the team failed to track runners. The roles were reversed, and it was no coincidence that all three goals came from midfield.
Fede said something interesting post-match:
“Xabi doesn’t want the midfield to come deep. He wants us to hold our position in between the lines and be aggressive going forward.”
Madrid now have the personnel (Huijsen, Trent in particular) to feed line-breaking passes into midfield. The interior midfielders, or #8s, no longer need to drop deep to facilitate buildup. Not only does this keep them higher up the pitch, but it allows them to put that energy into late-arriving runs.
Early prediction for the Xabi era? We’ll see a lot more goals from midfield.
Dean Huijsen – Bargain Buy
In just two matches, Dean Huijsen has won over any skeptics. I thought he’d be a great ball-playing center back but struggle in transition, and in particular, struggle with the space a Real Madrid defender often leaves behind. But so far, he’s been foot-perfect.
Every facet of his game has passed the test: 50/50 duels, defending 3v1 counterattacks, aerial presence and box defending, carrying out from the back, line-breaking passes, and even wide coverage to support the fullback. With Alaba’s long-term absence, it’s reassuring to have a defender who can facilitate buildup from the back.
1 - Dean Huijsen leads all Real Madrid players at the @FIFACWC for line-breaking passes (31), line-breaking passes in the final third (11), successful passes (127), clearances (10) and headed clearances (6). Accomplished. pic.twitter.com/Y0Nab8k5As
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 23, 2025
Raul Asencio: High Ceiling, But Costly Floor
Raúl Asencio shows up in the “What We Learned” column for the second week in a row. First the penalty, and now the red card.
Last week, I raised concerns about his rash decisions. This week, let’s focus on building the kid back up. Some saw Asencio’s emergence last season and declared him a center back for the next decade. Others were skeptical and have been quick to jump on his poor form to end the season, suggesting he’s headed to Getafe.
The truth is likely somewhere in the middle. He’s a center back worth having in the squad—capable of stepping up when called upon—but currently too mistake-prone and aggressive to be trusted as a starter. The qualities are there to make it at Real Madrid: speed, comfort defending a high line, long-range distribution, composed ball-carrying, and urgency in the defensive third.
He’ll bounce back. The question is whether Xabi gives him one more opportunity, or if he’s benched for a prolonged stretch. The way this team is shaping up, there’s little room for mistakes.
Young Blood, Fresh Faces
Two games into the tournament, and three names have stood-out: Dean Huijsen, Gonzalo Garcia, and Arda Guler.
The young blood and fresh faces are seizing their moment under a new coaching regime. It’s early days, but the Club World Cup will help define roles—and shape transfer decisions—ahead of the 2025/26 season.