BERGAMO, Italy — LATER 3-0 to win Girona on Saturday, Real Madrid Boss Carlo Ancelotti announced: “We’re back.”
Yes, they are not. At least not in terms of being a proper team, more than the sum of its parts. And the fact that they lost another part — Kylian Mbappe — 35 minutes a day on Tuesdays 3-2 to win Atlanta i Champions League Won’t help, even though they’ve reclaimed it in the second part. Vinicius Jr.
The caveat is that they were playing Atalanta and, as Pep Guardiola famously said, playing. La Dia “It’s about as much fun as a trip to the dentist.” The good news is that Madrid won’t face Gian Piero Gasperini’s side — or anyone who plays like him — again for a long time. The bad news is that there are still ways Ancelotti’s side can, and must, improve.
Tuesday night highlighted many of Real Madrid’s flaws. Danny Ceballos He showed (again) he’s not a viable playmaker when he has guys in his grill. Lucas Vazquez There’s no one you want to defend (especially not against) more than each other. Ademola Luckman). And when Vinícius, Mbappé and Jude Bellingham On the pitch, they can’t help but move to the left. When — as Mbappé sometimes did — trying to keep his position and distance, he doesn’t look natural, like kids trying to impress a teacher.
That said, the win in Bergamo also underscored two things that make Real Madrid so good: star power and grit. Just look at the names of the scorers on your favorite app — Mbappé, Vinícius, Bellingham — and you have proof. Mbappé’s control and finishing for the opener was next level. Vinícius impressed not so much with his own goal — the result of a lucky bounce — but with Bellingham’s elusive pass that made it 3-1. As for Bellingham, intelligent movement, powerful running and a dead-eye finish say it all. You can lump. Antonio Roediger there too. Both of them stop. Charles de Catellier-Bonded crosses were key in the first half, as was his leadership at the back. Yes, defenders can be stars too.
But then there is sorrow. A feeling of watching the game outside. Whether it was sitting down after a clash with Vazquez and eating up a full minute of injury time Odilon Kosovno (and getting booked in the process), or Bellingham popping up all over the pitch to clear late trouble…this team has an instinctive attitude to see the win on the line.
Gasparini’s Atlanta is special, even more so in meat
Pre-kickoff, Gasparini was featured as something of a typhoon by the Atlanta Ultras. Europa LeagueMedieval knight on horseback. Which is kind of funny because, in real life, Gasparini looks more like the bachelor uncle who shows up at family gatherings to laugh at his own jokes. But you can’t deny what he’s doing. Europa League winner, top Serie AAble to go head-to-head with Real Madrid and come within one Matteo Retigo A season-long contender to stop them in their tracks.
Atlanta are fearless: they flip the switch, their man-to-man pressing ignites fire, and it’s often lit up for opponents. That they’ve been able to be strong defensively as well — rather than catering to the old-fashioned feast-or-famine fare — shows how this team is developing.
Oh and it’s not a tactician who dreams up a scheme and gets players to do what he wants. No, Gasperini takes a bag of waifs and strays — Lookman RB Leipzig), De Ketelaere (by Unwanted AC Milan) Raul Bellanova (Disliked by International) That’s it (Not a name from Hellas Verona) Lazar Smardzic (a slow soloist) — and forces them to fit into his system and run themselves into the ground in the process.
This is great coaching people; Any way you slice it. And that’s why they’re so good. And thus unlike any other team in Europe.
Mbappé’s injury should not affect his performance.
Mbappé is injured again. And, while Ancelotti said his exit after 35 minutes was mostly precautionary, we’ll have a better idea after his test on Wednesday. But half an hour or so later he was on the pitch. France Star scored one goal and could have added two more. Just as importantly, he was a willing runner, often showing the ball rather than waiting on the wing, as he sometimes did. Paris Saint Germain.
Some would cruelly say that it was Vinicius’ return from injury that propelled Mbappé. I choose to believe that it is simply a desire to make myself useful. He’s not stupid, he knows how unbalanced and irrational Real Madrid’s set-up is when he and Vinicius are on the field together. So he tries to make up for it with a work rate (definitely a Mbappé-standard off-the-ball work rate, but still.) For 35 minutes, he was doing what was expected of him.
The story will be about how long he is out and how Madrid will cope without him, but we shouldn’t overlook how good he was when he was out.
Ederson He is among the best personalities in the world in his role.
No, no Manchester City Caper (he might as well, though Pep doesn’t think so of late). I am talking about the Atalanta midfielder. He just didn’t monster. Federico Valverde And Ceballos for most of the game, he popped up everywhere and did his Superman act, beating players in every area of the pitch.
Whether he’s beating Vinicius in a footy race, nutmeging Mbappé, playing one-twos with Luckman in the box, making more recovery runs than your local ambulance… he’s made the last 12 Looked the same way I’ve seen it in months. : Like the prototypical high-energy midfield all-rounder.
Is there a midfielder out there who can offer better quality and quantity for all but 90 minutes every week? may be I can’t think of anything right now.