Real Madrid players picked out for criticism after late win
Real Madrid's victory at Balaídos showed some positive signs, but also reasons for concern.
Real Madrid snatched a last-gasp, much-needed and redemptive victory at Balaídos. It offered some positive signs, such as the team’s blistering start and their fluid ball movement. Arbeloa’s men completed 810 passes, the most by any team in La Liga this season, achieving this with a relatively modest possession rate of 63.4%, only the 14th highest in Madrid’s 41 matches this campaign. Yet the match also became another occasion for individual scrutiny. Some players were thrust into the spotlight by Arbeloa himself, while others faded from view on their own.
The manager’s first change was to take off Güler. The Turk once again delivered a mixed performance. He set up Tchouameni for Madrid’s opening goal, his 13th assist of the season, but otherwise appeared disconnected from the game. It was something Madrid clearly felt on the pitch. The team has a different energy when the man from Altındağ is sharp, but that was not the case against Celta, a match in which he was largely invisible. At times he even seemed out of position, drifting into a very advanced role, almost as a centre forward, when the game required him to drop deeper to receive the ball. “If I brought on Palacios, it’s because I think he was more accustomed to playing the role Arda was playing than Arda himself,” his manager explained afterwards, effectively exonerating him.
Güler left the field in the 65th minute having registered just 51 touches and 32 completed passes from 38 attempts. That represents an 84.2% pass completion rate, the lowest among the eleven starters in Vigo and one of his ten worst performances this season, in which he averages a 90.3% success rate. He was also the second player to lose possession most often, doing so 12 times, and he appeared visibly unhappy with the substitution when Arbeloa replaced him.
The manager also left a message in the press room. “I’m very, very happy. Above all, because of the character, because of the people who wanted to come.” Was it directed at someone in particular? Only Arbeloa himself knows, but there is a likely candidate. The team was plagued by absences, most of them unavoidable. Camavinga, however, had been expected to feature after missing the Getafe match with a toothache he had been suffering from since Sunday. In the end, the Frenchman was left out of the squad and did not travel to Vigo. The decision raised eyebrows and, although Arbeloa did not mention any names, his comment in the Balaídos press room inevitably drew attention to the situation.
Balaídos once again exposed Trent Alexander-Arnold’s defensive shortcomings. Celta’s goal highlighted the English full-back’s weaknesses, as he lost a footrace to Swedberg despite starting with the advantage and offered little resistance, allowing the Swede to comfortably deliver the ball to Borja Iglesias for the equaliser. His attacking strengths remain undeniable. In Vigo he was the Real Madrid player who delivered the most crosses into the box, with 13. Yet this also forced Valverde to remain extremely attentive in order to maintain defensive balance. The Englishman’s average position ended up being more advanced than the Uruguayan’s, something further reflected in another statistic: Trent lost possession far more often than anyone else for Real Madrid, doing so 24 times, double the figure of the next player on the list, Güler with 12.
The other player who struggled in the match was Brahim. It was his first start under Arbeloa, although he had previously been the first substitute, in the 10th minute, on the day Bellingham was injured against Rayo Vallecano. Overall, he found it difficult to connect with Madrid’s attacking options. Neither Vinícius nor Gonzalo, the latter replacing the Brazilian, were particularly involved in the game. Brahim often drifted towards the right wing in search of the ball, but even that failed to bring him into the match. He was involved in 58 actions but completed only 16 passes in the final third, compared with the 39 managed by the omnipresent Valverde. The top scorer of the last Africa Cup of Nations did not even manage a shot at Balaídos. A missed opportunity.
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