After 90 gruelling minutes on a Saturday afternoon, Real Madrid somehow just got it done. That used to happen quite often in Carlo Ancelotti’s era. Under Xabi Alonso, it is less common — at least, so far it is.
Goals from Kylian Mbappé and Arda Güler were crucial as Los Blancos battled with a man down against a rampant Real Sociedad crowd to get their fourth win of the season. Here are three very quick observations from the game.
Huijsen’s red card — and what we learn from it
Let’s not beat around the bush; that was a really, really bad call from
the referee.
Dean Huijsen was not the last man, the ball was not in Mikel Oyarzabal’s full control, and the incident happened forty yards away from Real Madrid’s goal. Those three bits of information should make it clear that the decision was wrong, and what annoys people more is the fact that VAR did not even intervene.
OK, that is done. Real Madrid will likely appeal the decision. What is factual, though, is that this is the second time Huijsen has done this in his short career as a Real Madrid player. It was a red against a. It was not a red against Borussia Dortmund. It was not a red against Real Sociedad, but the fouls were the same.
There is something you can consider with regards to his positioning — maybe Huijsen was slow to react to the potential danger this chance had — but Eder Militao was right there. He needs to trust his teammates far more than he is at the moment.
In the game against Dortmund, Thibaut Courtois could have done something about that chance. Maybe they concede a goal and everything changes, but at least they would have had 11 men to deal with it if it did.
The same goes for this one. Maybe Courtois intervenes against La Real. Maybe Militao recovers in time. Maybe he, himself, recovers well in time before Oyarzabal can move close to Real Madrid’s goal. Nothing is a guarantee in these situations. A red card changes that, though, and makes it a guarantee for completely wrong reasons.
Huijsen needs to consider these situations. He is a brilliant defender — and has been one of the most impressive Real Madrid players this season — but there are things that he needs to work on, and one of them is handling situations exactly like this one.
In Real Madrid’s new high line, there will be more of these. It is now on Huijsen to react more patiently rather than instinctively.
Kylian Mbappe’s rampage
Everyone knew Kylian Mbappe was pretty good at football. After a few off months, fans learned it last season that this guy is a need, despite the luxury claims everyone threw at him.
There were a few who still thought he was not needed, and that is fair, but this season, even they might have to forget that notion ever entered their heads.
Mbappe just looks different. He is playing differently. He is moving differently. He is acting differently. Mbappe just seems to have locked in more than he has before, at least, that is what it seems. There is something different about him. Xabi Alonso correctly pointed out a few weeks ago. “Mbappe looks more focused and motivated,” were his words, and that checks out so far.
Mbappe seems hungrier. He also seems quicker and lighter — both physically and mentally — which no one thought was possible. His finishing has been tweaked, and he is looking like the menace everyone thought Real Madrid were getting last season.
If 44 goals weren’t enough, this season, Mbappe is likely to surpass that figure. He already has six goals and two assists this season, and he looks hungry for more.
Another brilliant goal and assist against Real Sociedad — but the way Mbappe manoeuvred past countless defenders, the way he blitzed others for speed, and his composed finishing were just so fun to watch. Floor raiser, ceiling raiser, and it is especially good to see him start the season this way.
Real Madrid’s second-half performances…
For one reason or another, Real Madrid have not looked comfortable dealing with teams in the second half. Maybe the battery dies towards the end. Maybe it is the system that they need to get more and more used to, so that it works for longer. Sometimes, just like the game against La Real, they have to play with 10 men.
However, on Saturday, it wasn’t just the red card. Everything just sort of failed to work. It was one of those games that you take a win on and run for your life, but it wasn’t the first time the team looked uncomfortable in the latter stages.
Alonso will need to work on this so that the team can sustain good spells for longer and good halves into the next one. It is just weird to see, quite literally, everything falling apart within a few minutes. A lack of control, bad pressing, less chance creation, etc.
You could credit the unfortunate red here for most of those problems, but Real Madrid finished the first three games with 11 men, and yet, they played in a similar, out-of-sorts fashion.
These are early days, so it is OK, but Alonso will need to address this before they face their first big test of the season in just two weeks, against Atletico Madrid.
