Carlo Ancelotti gave Real Madrid striker Álvaro just seven minutes against Espanyol
In the absence of Benzema, Espanyol at the Santiago Bernabéu was a game that for various reasons looked ideal to try out youngster Álvaro Rodríguez from the start. He is a player who, in the few moments he has come out onto the pitch, has left us wanting more . But Ancelotti is not one to use the youth team, which is the only serious defect that I see; the manager only gave the lad a couple of minutes at the end, in one of those changes used for an outgoing player to thank the fans.
Benzema’s place went to Rodrygo, a very capable but cold player, with the ability to score, but a very visible downgrade in that position. Anyway, it was another missed opportunity - and this one looked perfect - to see what young Álvaro really has in his boots.
In any case, Madrid beat Espanyol with a wonderful 30 minutes in the first half of the match. The team came out sleepy and after a scare from Braithwite the side conceded a tremendous goal from Joselu, to which they finally reacted. Until the break Madrid played really well, always using Vinicius as the main member of attack, and even at times the only dangerous member of the team.
The Brazilian ace scored the first goal, he was involved the second and completed the hat-trick with a yellow card, (in my opinion, a deserved one) for a shirt tug that angered both the stadium and Ancelotti. The second half was quiet: a Rodrygo strike off the crossbar and the final goal from Asensio were the only points of note.
Asensio’s strike was made by a great run from Nacho, who appeared cheerful in front of the TV after the game, in a way that suggested a desire to renew, although he did not confirm it. Good news. Just as it was when Madrid announced yesterday in an official statement that today they will examine the possibility of appearing in the case opened by the Prosecutor’s Office in the Barça-Enríquez Negreira scandal.
In this way, they are taking advantage of the opportune moment to get up to speed and abandon a passive official stance that contrasted with the general annoyance of the fanbase, who did not understand the silence. It intrigues me how this will alter the Florentino-Laporta partnership in the fantastic adventure that is the Super League.
LaLiga Santander 2022/2023
| Classification | PTS | WM | TM | LM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Barcelona | 62 | 20 | 2 | 2 |
| 2Real Madrid | 56 | 17 | 5 | 3 |
| 3Atlético de Madrid | 45 | 13 | 6 | 5 |
| Upcoming matches | |
|---|---|
| Barcelona - Real Madrid | S-19/03 16:00 |
| Real Madrid - Real Valladolid | S-02/04 10:15 |
| Real Madrid - Villarreal | S-08/04 15:00 |
*Data updated to date Mar 11th, 2023