A good performance with a few hiccups.
Real Madrid beat Athletic Club in a very nervy contest at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday night. A late screamer from Fede Valverde ensured Real Madrid’s deft hopes to win La Liga stay alive for another week, as they inch closer to the finish line.
Here are three observations from the win:
Real Madrid looked solid, but…
It would not be the most outlandish thing to say that this was the best Real Madrid have looked collectively in a long time — especially in the second half. They made chances, tracked runners, controlled the game and kept knocking on Athletic Club’s door until they got an answer they wanted.
In that sense, it was good. Everything looked more balanced. Jude Bellingham played as a 10, finally, and looked very good. It was the same system as last year’s, just without Toni Kroos. In theory and without context, Real Madrid looked very good in the second half.
There is one thing that everyone also needs to remember alongside this performance. Even though it was good — and I am taking nothing away from it — it was also against a weakened Athletic team who had just given their all in the Europa League quarter-finals three days ago. All their big names like Nico Williams (injured), Inaki Williams, Oiman Sancet, and so many others were on the bench.
And that is fine. But Real Madrid struggled to break down a second-string Athletic team, and had to rely on (another) incredible solo effort from one of their stars in the last minutes of the game to win.
Real Madrid dominated the entire game and deserved what they got — and Athletic defended really well — but it is something you need to think about. It took Real Madrid this long to beat a team missing their best players, and it was still comfortably a good team performance. Says a lot about this season.
This is why Real Madrid need a right-back
Valverde is awesome. He was awesome against Athletic on Sunday, and was the reason Real Madrid got what they wanted from the match. They got a much-needed win, and it was thanks to his heroics.
However, we have not seen this version of Valverde in, checks watch, *so long*. He has been brilliant all season, but in a different position. He has had to play at right-back because Real Madrid do not have anyone else, but this is exactly what I am excited about for next season.
Real Madrid will most likely sign Trent Alexander-Arnold in the summer of 2025, and that brings more great things than bad things. Number one, Los Blancos would have an actual right-back for once. Secondly, the things Trent provides, no one else does. And third, finally, isthat Valverde will be unleashed, just like he was against Athletic on Sunday.
He took seven shots during the game, one of which was a bullet right into the top corner. Valverde made runs into the box, passed the ball around well and just showed the aggression that has been missing for a long time due to his positioning and having to either cover for his full-back or be the full-back.
The Vinicius Jr of old
This was needed. I won’t go into too much detail because it is already well-documented how good Vinicius Jr was against Athletic, but he was great. He did so much, and was very unlucky not to be on the scoresheet. Well, he was on it, but just for a few seconds.
Real Madrid needed him back a long time ago, but better late than never. Real Madrid would be fine, and Vinicius Jr would be fine as well, and this was a good game for those two things to overlap.
It is not about Kylian Mbappe not being there — no matter how much people like to lead that narrative. I believe it is the formation that plays a part. Real Madrid looked their best with the 4-4-2, and if you replace Rodrygo — a very inconsistent Rodrygo — with Mbappe in the lineup, there is no reason for both of them to perform well.
Their forms have not overlapped yet, but that does not mean one of them is the problem. It has not worked so far, but Vinicius Jr and Mbappe will be brilliant together. In time.
