Real Madrid beat Villarreal 3-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday night to get back to winning ways in La Liga. A brace from Vinicius Jr, followed by a Kylian Mbappe goal, made sure the team bounced back after the gut-wrenching defeat to Atletico Madrid just one week ago.
Here are three very quick observations from the win:
Franco Mastantuono, relentless
Mastantuono did not register a goal or an assist during the game against Villarreal on Saturday, but he managed to do everything else just fine.
He is one of the difference makers
on this team, irrespective of his goal contributions, at least for now, simply because he makes things happen. Mastantuono tries to do a lot. He tries to link up with other players well when there’s a need. He tries to be a positive passer. He creates chances for his teammates. He takes risks. There are a lot of intangibles that are right with Mastantuono’s performances at the moment, and once his raw technique and abilities are polished, he will be an even better player.
The best thing about Mastantuono is his relentlessness. It does not matter to him if a pass is unsuccessful. If there is an opportunity, he will try again. Sometimes, that would be to his own detriment, but that is also what you expect from an 18-year-old.
The other thing worth noting about the Argentine talent is his defensive commitment. The minute the team loses the ball, he is on the run to track back and help them defensively. Whenever Mastantuono messes up a pass or a dribble, he is the first person tracking back in order to mop it up. Those are things you do not get with 18-year-olds. It is surprising to see so much commitment from the player on both ends this early into his Real Madrid career, and it was on public display against Villarreal.
Real Madrid’s problems in the first half
Real Madrid’s second-half performance was strong on the offensive end, and it got the job done for them with three good goals from their star attackers. However, the first half seemed to be a bit more worrying.
It seemed like a drag. Real Madrid were facing a very patient and defensive version of Villarreal who did not offer loads of space in their third. And Real Madrid struggled. It was similar to one of the ways they struggled in the Madrid derby the other day — lack of ideas and chances in the final third to really open up the opposition’s defense.
It is also worth noting that Real Madrid looked a very similar version of themselves from last year on Saturday night — at least for a few minutes when they were trying to break down Villarreal’s low block.
Alonso used to have difficulties breaking down these sorts of systems in his Bayer Leverkusen days as well, so it was something attention-grabbing.
There is also a conversation worth having about Real Madrid’s off-ball movement. There was not enough of it in the half-spaces apart from Mastantuono. There weren’t enough overlaps by the full-backs in the first half, which made it difficult for the team to break down their defence.
Many of these things changed in the second half, which is how Real Madrid made it an open game. However, it was worth noting that the problems from last year still persist in the mannerisms of these football players, and it will take some time for them to be fully eradicated from their system.
Fede Valverde’s showing at right-back
A lot of controversy surrounded the least-controversial player in Real Madrid’s squad last week. Fede Valverde was under the spotlight after a no-context video of him stopping his warm-up sparked so much debate on social media that he had to put out a statement about never refusing to play for the club.
I believe him. Valverde has always seemed like he is ready to go to war for this club, and even though he has not performed well this season, that does not mean he would refuse to play at a position he does not usually play at.
Playing as a right-back is not always the best portrayal of the Uruguayan’s abilities as a footballer, but he made sure he left everything on the pitch for the club he loves. And in doing so, he gave his best shift of the season so far.
Valverde’s passing was brilliant, as he created so many chances through slick passes from the right flank. His defending — although there was not much to do — was crisp and solid, and it made sure no threat came from his flank.
Valverde left out two key passes, four crosses, four long balls, four tackles, two interceptions and plenty of heart on the pitch. Wearing the captain’s armband, you wouldn’t expect any less.
