Days after defeat to Celta Vigo, the Bernabéu played host to another night of disappointment for Real Madrid as they crashed to a 2-1 home defeat to Manchester City in a fixture tipped to decide the future of coach Xabi Alonso. The Champions League tie got off to a strong start as Rodrygo Goes ended his goal drought to open the scoring, but Manchester City hit back before half-time with goals from Nico O’Reilly and a penalty from Erling Haaland which proved to be the winner.
Three answers
1. Is this the end for
Xabi Alonso?
It would seem so. It’s hard not to feel sorry for the coach. This game was teed up as the all or nothing encounter to decide his future, and he had to go into it without at least four players who would have been guaranteed starters if the squad were fully fit. Real Madrid did put up a fight, this was by no means the demolition that Alonso’s biggest critics feared it could be. Rodrygo’s goal gave hope and at no point did Real Madrid show the same kind of lack of intensity that has been the norm in recent weeks. There was pressing, counter-attacking, and a lot more fight. This squad raises to the big occasion and the elite rival, and this was most certainly the case, but this team did not look the lost cause that the circumstances seem to indicate.
2. Is Kylian Mbappé fit?
When news broke on Tuesday that Kylian Mbappé was nursing a muscle strain and was unable to train, it added to a sense of pessimism around Valdebebas. Unlike the likes of Dean Huijsen or Eduardo Camavinga, it was clear that he was one of the few differential players who it could be worth gambling on, but the question was whether it would be worthwhile. Mbappé made the squad, but was not fit enough to start and his presence on the bench seemed more like a symbolic vote of confidence in his coach than a meaningful statement of intent to play any role in this game. While a player of his quality will always be missed, it did give an opportunity for Real Madrid to try something else. The result was a very impressive Rodrygo on the right flank, enjoying the freedom he had without Mbappé centrally, while Gonzalo García and Vinícius Júnior struggled.
3. Who would play at right-back?
It may seem like a rather unimportant question, but it’s one that has come to be the perfect example of Xabi Alonso’s struggles. While early on he wasn’t afraid to make the big calls, subbing Vinícius Júnior, not risking Kylian Mbappé at the Club World Cup, testing his back three, that bravery and courage has vanished. The decision to play Raúl Asencio at right-back against Celta Vigo reflected that, surrendering to the very public complaints of Fede Valverde, one of the team’s captains, about playing in a position he didn’t like. Asencio was a misfit, offering little offensively when it would usually form a key part of Alonso’s system. Hence why it mattered so much who played here, and Alonso did go for Valverde in the role. It’s true that injuries meant that he had little choice, the alternative would have been Álvaro Carreras in a central role and Fran García on the left, but it was a call that Alonso still had to make.
Three questions
1. What next?
Only Florentino Pérez can know the answer to this question. Is there any way back for Xabi Alonso? Will Xabi Alonso be given a stay of execution until the winter break? Will we have an interim solution, most likely Álvaro Arbeloa? Will that interim solution be until the end of the season? Real Madrid know only too well the damage that making a coaching change can cause, but also that prolonging the inevitable can be just as damaging. There is a feel of 2018/19 to this season already, a promising new era crashing and burning before it has even begun, but the difference this time is that it is because of a bigger problem. If Florentino dismisses Xabi Alonso, it resolves the short-term problem, but it doesn’t fix the major problem of the locker room and the structural squad issues. Whoever takes up the role will face an uphill battle. Until Real Madrid address the real challenge, of the egos in the dressing room and their demands, no coach is going to be able to enact real change and a real transition at the Bernabéu.
2. Is there a way back for Rodrygo Goes?
One of the positives of the night was the Brazilian, who produced his best performance since March. It was also the first time he’s scored since March. Operating on the right flank, he was a livewire from the start, creating a match-high of five chances and winning four fouls for his team, more than any other player on the field. He pressed tirelessly and gambled to make a daring run every time Real Madrid were in possession. This was a man making his first start in five games but his first start in a major fixture since the opening Champions League tie against Marseille in September, and he looked like a player with a point to prove. Only Lionel Messi and Karim Benzema have scored more goals against a Pep Guardiola team than Rodrygo’s four, and while this one may be forgotten compared to the others, it was just as well taken and it could have been crucial.
3. Is Real Madrid’s place in the top eight at risk?
Certainly. Results elsewhere mean that Real Madrid remain in the top eight by the skin of their teeth on goal difference, but with some tricky rivals as Newcastle, Inter Milan, Atlético Madrid and Liverpool all sit on 12 points alongside Los Blancos. The remaining two fixtures pit Real Madrid up against Monaco at the Bernabéu and Benfica in Lisbon. Both games seem winnable, but neither will be an easy ride. Both potential banana skins fall either side of a very difficult away tie in La Liga up against Villarreal, who are yet to lose at home in domestic competitions this season. There’s no need to lose any sleep just yet for Real Madrid fans, but there’s no room for slip ups after defeats to Liverpool and Manchester City. With injuries hitting the squad hard, the thought of an additional two games and a tougher route to the final would be incredibly daunting.
