Real Madrid suffered defeat to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with a 3-2 final scoreline on Sunday night. Raphinha scored twice for the Catalans, with Vinícius Júnior and Gonzalo García on the scoresheet either side of a Robert Lewandowski chip in injury time of the first half, to get Blaugrana hands on the trophy for the second year in a row.
**1\. Who would be fit to start in defence?**
Even the most optimistic of Madridistas knew that Antonio Rüdiger was facing a battle against time to recover from the knee injury which he played through and forced him to hobble off on Thursday. Coming in for him, Dean Huijsen had only started three games in the last two months as he battled fitness issues of his own. Éder Militão remains sidelined long-term, makeshift option Ferland Mendy was ruled out on Saturday evening, another alternative Dani Carvajal has not yet played since his own injury, and David Alaba hadn’t played since mid-October. Eventually, the Austrian veteran would be needed as both Fede Valverde and Dean Huijsen were forced off with injuries. Real Madrid’s defence wasn’t even down to second string, it was closer to third or fourth choice across almost every position.
**2\. Would Kylian Mbappé be fit?**
Flown out in the aftermath of Thursday’s semi-final, Kylian Mbappé‘s presence in Saudi Arabia was a visible example of the nerves surrounding Real Madrid ahead of this fixture. Initially ruled out for three weeks only a week and a half ago, it seemed almost impossible that he would be fit, yet he joined the squad on Friday. Being left on the bench seemed to indicate that he was nowhere near the level of fitness required to compete in a fixture of these demands. Throwing him in for Gonzalo García after Raphinha’s goal screamed of desperation more than a coherent plan. If Mbappé was fit, there didn’t seem to be a clear plan of action of how to use him even against the tired legs of Barcelona’s defence. The management of this case seemed a last throw of the dice.
**3\. Would October’s Clásico win give Real Madrid a confidence boost?**
In the semi-final, Real Madrid were happy to let Atlético take control. With the trauma of September’s 5-2 defeat, it was easy to see why there was that tendency. Against Barça, however, there was a different context. The Clásico win in October was one of dominance and control from Real Madrid. Yet, here, Real Madrid once again opted to sit back and allow Barcelona to command the game. Registering just 32% possession, this was Jose Mourinho-esque in how Xabi Alonso set up his team to play second fiddle and look to pounce on Barcelona mistakes, rather than aiming to take the game to them in any way. It was a complete transformation from the approach that Carlo Ancelotti took against Hansi Flick’s Barcelona, with the Italian having little success. Real Madrid showed a lack of ambition to take the game to Barcelona, but it was a deliberate ploy to try to hit them on the counter. For many years, Real Madrid have not played relying on mistakes and counter-attacks, and there will be many who will not be happy with the way in which this defeat came about.
**1\. What does this mean for Xabi Alonso’s job security?**
Reports continued to emerge from Saudi Arabia that Xabi Alonso could’ve been fired had the semi-final against Atlético ended in defeat. The never-ending hourglass which seems to be ticking on Alonso’s dismissal was pushed back again, this time to the chance for the ultimate humiliation with a Clásico. The defeat was not an embarrassing one. Real Madrid were clearly second-best, but the scoreline is not one that will go down in the history books as one of the most disastrous results in recent years. Alonso may still live to fight another day, the thrashing of Betis at the Bernabéu to open 2026 helping to change the atmosphere somewhat after ending 2025 with a series of unimpressive victories, but it seems far-fetched to envisage Xabi Alonso suddenly gaining additional backing from the club after missing out here.
**2\. Was it the wrong call to take off Gonzalo García?**
The star man, if there was one, was the man who set up one goal and scored the other. The 21-year-old forward has shown in recent weeks that he can offer something different, with his dropping deep and making runs and movements which nobody else in the Real Madrid front line can offer. He also offers a crucial target man outlet. Taking him off blunted the Real Madrid attack, even though his involvement had been fairly limited, by restricting the options available. The management of the game went from poor to worse at that point, losing control or direction, as shown by the team not registering a shot again until the 96th minute, over 20 minutes after Gonzalo had been taken off.
**3\. Are set pieces the silver lining?**
If the last month has had one positive, it has been the impressive form of Rodrygo Goes. The Brazilian has become somewhat of a set-piece specialist, with three set piece assists in the last three games. Since Toni Kroos departed, Real Madrid have struggled to find a replacement who could produce danger from such corners and free-kicks, but Rodrygo has shown that he can produce that same threat. With Gonzalo García looking like the strongest aerial option since Joselu, this new element to Real Madrid’s strategy has been a welcome diversification. On this occasion, it just wasn’t enough, but if it could work here, there is no reason for it not to be a lethal weapon in the weeks ahead against weaker opposition like Albacete, Levante and Monaco before the more demanding fixtures return at the end of the month.
See More:
* [Real Madrid CF: Domestic Cups](/real-madrid-cf-domestic-cups)