Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images
Returning to the field after two weeks, Real Madrid were faced with a formidable opposition in Real Sociedad.
The Basque kings, who have performed consistently in La Liga in recent years, gave the men in white a run for their money and only some luck helped Carlo Ancelotti’s men get away with three points.
A handball in the penalty area by Sergio Gomez handed Real Madrid a penalty that Vinicius Jr skilfully converted close to the hour mark.
Another spot-kick from Kylian Mbappe just over 15 minutes later gave the visitors a two-goal lead and helped seal the three points, albeit not in the manner they would have hoped for.
Madrid Universal brings you three questions and three answers to take away from the result.
Three questions
How long will Real Madrid rely on spot-kicks?
Real Madrid, for a long time, have been criticised for being at the receiving end of referees’ favour in recent years. Frequent penalties being awarded to them was one of the primary arguments against the club.
The new season has only given critics reason to further amplify their opinion as Real Madrid have been awarded four penalties in five games. While all the spot-kicks were legitimate, it is worrying to think of where the team would be without them.
If one removed penalties from the picture, Real Madrid may well have lost the game against Las Palmas and the game against Real Betis would have been much tighter as well.
Last night’s game, however, would have been the worst hit as both of the team’s goals bizarrely came from the spot.
What is going on with Vinicius Jr?
It does not take an expert to notice that Vinicius is far from his best. Returning to Spain after massive criticism over his form for Brazil, the youngster looked out of sorts last night.
In 90 minutes, he only completed 19 passes and 45 touches of the ball and failed to complete a single cross from the wing.
Further, he completed just one dribble on the night which is extremely uncharacteristic of his flair-filled self. He recorded one shot on target and had four shots blocked.
Whatever the reason behind the youngster’s rough patch, the manager needs to set his mindset and spirits right for Vinicius is critical to Real Madrid’s success.
What does Brahim Diaz’s injury mean?
If the existing injury pool was not enough for Real Madrid, Brahim Diaz was taken off the field at the 25-minute mark last night and the situation at the club is now getting very serious.
As it stands, the only fit midfielders are Federico Valverde, Luka Modric and Arda Guler, and the manager has his hands tied.
The marathon of six games coming up only ups the pressure for playing so many fixtures with half the midfield strength injured is playing with fire.
The only respite for the club is that Jude Bellingham and Aurelien Tchouameni are in the final stages of their recovery. Ancelotti will hope to have both players back in time for the game midweek for the current situation is simply unsustainable.
Three answers
How would Real Madrid turn up after the break?
After a relatively poor start to the season, many saw the two-week hiatus from club football to be the perfect restart for Los Blancos.
The break, however, does not appear to have done a ton of good for the men in white as Saturday night’s performance echoed the team’s displays before the international break.
Real Madrid looked uninspired, dull and blunt in the final third and did not create as much threat on goal as they would have liked to. Their saving grace came in the form of two penalties for they were not the better team on the night.
Who would Ancelotti pick in midfield?
With Bellingham, Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga and Dani Ceballos injured, Carlo Ancelotti was faced with a tricky selection dilemma in midfield in the run-up to yesterday’s game.
As anticipated, Valverde played as the pivot for the Merengues, holding the fortress and sticking deeper than he usually would.
Modric, meanwhile started the clash and was tasked with being the orchestrator of the play given his experience and undeniable quality.
The third place in midfield left the manager with the same two options he has been forced to choose between in recent games – Brahim Diaz and Arda Guler. Interestingly, however, Ancelotti gave both players a start.
While Guler started as an attacking midfielder on the night, Diaz was also given a start on the right wing in place of Rodrygo.
How would the Real Madrid defence hold up?
Going up against Real Sociedad at San Sebastian is far from simple for the Basque giants are known to be formidable at their fortress.
Indeed, Imanol Alguacil’s men were in great spirits against the defending champions and did not hold back in attack.
In 90 minutes, Real Sociedad created two big chances, hit the woodwork thrice and accumulated an xG of 1.07.
While Los Blancos’ defenders did well to fend off pressure from the hosts, it is clear that they were outdone in certain moments and that the clean sheet was a lucky escape.
