On Wednesday evening, Real Madrid picked up their first win in their last four outings, beating Olympiacos 4-3 away for the club's first-ever competitive victory on Greek soil. There were plenty of concerns during the game, but the most important thing was the much-needed victory.
The biggest positive, no doubt, was the four goals scored by Kylian Mbappe. Another plus was Vinicius Jr. picking up two assists, and the footage of him hugging Xabi Alonso after all the recent noise about the two.
One more positive was the performance of Trent Alexander-Arnold. It has been a tough time for the 27-year old since he made the brave decision to leave his boyhood club after more than 20 years there.
Trent Alexander-Arnold
IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire
Whether it be down to injuries, Alonso preferring to go with captain Dani Carvajal, or even Federico Valverde at right-back, it has not been easy so far. However, he has played the full 90 in both of the last two games.
During the draw with Elche, TAA created four chances, including one big chance. He had 91 touches of the ball, hit the woodwork, and completed 4/7 accurate long balls. Not a perfect performance, but encouraging for his first full 90 since the Club World Cup.
But last night, we saw his performance go up another level from that. The former Liverpool man completed all 7/7 long balls, with one sublime ball in particular immediately after he stopped an Olympiacos attack down their left-hand side.
Trent Alexander-Arnold in action
IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire
Which is a good segue to the next talking point. The quality Real Madrid's number 12 has on the ball has never been in question - but there have always been discussions over his defensive work. Last night, he was near perfect defensively - winning 2/2 tackles, one clearance, three blocked shots, and 3/4 duels won.
If he can be a capable defender for the team, there is no question that the club has a world-class net-positive asset on the side. It is now Xabi Alonso's task to find a way to consistently have a system that can maximise the defender's attributes and hide his flaws.
Realistically, TAA is not the most athletic player. Even at his physical peak, he was not someone blessed with blistering pace or dynamic mobility. So you want to surround him with those sorts of players. Having Federico Valverde on the right-hand side of the midfield three (or four) would be useful in this regard.
Valverde and Trent during their time as opponents
IMAGO / PA Images
Additionally, having Eder Militao as the right-sided central defender would be beneficial. The Brazilian defender is very mobile and a top-class channel defender, and has played Right-Back numerous times during his career because of this. The issue is his availability, or lack thereof.
Antonio Rudiger is also a very good channel defender, but often plays as the left-sided central defender, and has similar issues when it comes to his availability. Raul Asencio simply does not have the same capabilities as those two.
Whilst at AFC Bournemouth, Dean Huijsen was a very good performer in Andoni Iraola's high line, but has struggled to find his feet in the Spanish capital so far. So it is ideal if Militao returns to action as soon as possible.
Eder Militao and Trent Alexander-Arnold in training
IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire
So, if Alonso is able to get mobility and intensity surrounding the right-back, we should see the fruits of that labour. His ability on the ball is something that really should not go to waste.
Not only can he whip crosses into compatriot Jude Bellingham to make late runs into the box for, but he can also - as we regularly saw last night - play long balls into the channel for both Vinicius and Mbappe.
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