Real Madrid beat Rayo Vallecano 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday afternoon to climb back up to second place, thanks to goals from Kylian Mbappé and Vinicius Jr. Here are three quick observations from the match:
David Alaba’s return to form
It has been over a year since Alaba played a ‘great’ game of football. He has looked impressive in the few matches back from his ACL injury, but he has always looked a bit rusty. In his previous starts, he either looked disjointed alongside Antonio Rudiger, or he was not tested a whole lot. This game was unlike either of those performances.
Alaba came back and looked like Alaba. He may not be good enough to start every single Real Madrid game anymore, but after that performance, he showed that there is some of the old Alaba left in him, and that could come out in the occasional appearances he makes. Of course, when every single player in the squad is fit and healthy, Rudiger and Eder Militao will be the centre-backs, but Alaba, if he is able to continue the way he played against the Vallecas outfit, can be a really good squad player for the future.
The conversation then will be whether it is worth it to have such a high salary being used on a squad player. That is another debate, but Alaba’s return to form, at least for this season, could be massive in making sure Rudiger is fit for the big games in April and May.
The Modric-Tchouameni combination
Folks, soak it all in. Luka Modric has been phenomenal in his last few appearances for Real Madrid, and it may be one of the last times you see it happen. Of course, people say that every year, and yet, Modric comes back and looks strong every single time. So you never truly know, but it needs to be said just how brilliant and crucial Modric has been in Dani Ceballos’ absence.
Real Madrid, especially with Aurelien Tchouameni and Modric together, look good. The game against Atletico Madrid earlier in the week changed when Modric stepped onto the pitch and partnered Tchouameni. It is a similar theme that has followed a large part of this stretch. Tchouameni’s best version in the last two matches has come out and it may be because Modric complements his game quite well.
That is not the only reason, but Tchouameni and Modric were passing the ball around effortlessly, the ying to their yang. At one point, they were toying with Rayo’s midfield with quick one-touch passes to get out of press. It looked beautiful. They work so well together that it is easy to forget Modric is nearing 40 and Tchouameni, until recently, was in a bad slump.
These two together are always good, but individually, they have been equally brilliant. Tchouameni finished the match with six duels won, four interceptions, two clearances, and sat with a passing accuracy of 92% (48/52). Modric, on the other hand, completed four tackles, two interceptions, five recoveries, four key passes and 62 of his 69 attempts at giving the ball to his teammates.
Eduardo Camavinga has been underperforming, and that has forced Ancelotti’s hand. It has worked out for now, and it probably will be the midfield that Ancelotti goes for against Atletico on Wednesday night.
Real Madrid’s relinquishment of control
It was not the first time, and it will certainly not be the last. Ancelotti’s men have looked dangerous on many occasions, but rarely has that carried on through the entire match. In the first half, Real Madrid looked good. Very good, in fact, and could have scored three or four.
In the second half, they let Rayo back into the game, and that continued for the rest of the match. The only game I can remember it not happening in was against Manchester City, where they scored three beautiful goals with continued control and without any reply until it did not matter anymore.
Real Madrid need to keep doing that more often. It is not complacency, but it is also not pressure. It has to be something in the middle, and Real Madrid need to figure it out. They used to be excellent in these situations.
A few seasons ago, when two goals were scored without reply, it was Real Madrid’s time to keep hold of possession with continued ball retention, and circulating it all over the field, which helped open up the opposition to create more chances.
Now, it is the opposite. It is like they want to make the match more interesting for the neutral. It is like they want to suffer, and that can work against the Rayos and the Real Sociedads — sometimes not even against them — but it will not work against the Liverpools and the Barcelonas.
If Real Madrid want to win the Champions League, they will need to fix this before it is too late.