After Real Madrid’s bitter match at Vallecas against Rayo Vallecano, one player stands out as the missing element in Carlo Ancelotti’s team.
Matchday 17 of La Liga is underway this weekend. Fresh from a fine victory at Atalanta Bergamo’s Gewiss Stadium in midweek Champions League action, Real Madrid faced Rayo Vallecano on Saturday evening, though James Rodriguez (who was absent from the match squad) did not feature. At the final whistle, the scoreboard showed 3-3. Trailing by two goals after half an hour of play, Carlo Ancelotti’s side clawed back thanks to two brilliant strikes from Federico Valverde and Jude Bellingham.
Returning from the break, Rodrygo Goes scored a sensational goal to put Los Blancos back in the lead. However, on a tough night, Real Madrid’s defence conceded a third goal. Denied a clear penalty on Vinicius Junior with just 15 minutes remaining, the team failed to find the net again.
Following this result, Carlo Ancelotti has come under fire for his tactical decisions. The absence of both Vinicius Junior and Camavinga at the start of the match was baffling, as was the exclusion of the only natural central defender available to partner Rüdiger.
Raúl Asensio: the only winner after the draw
Raúl Asensio, a young Spanish defender aged 21, rose to prominence weeks ago after Eder Militao’s injury but has recently been demoted to the bench. Following a performance marred by a few mistakes against Athletic Bilbao in the rescheduled match for La Liga’s 19th round, Asensio was “punished” by Carlo Ancelotti, who opted to field Aurélien Tchouaméni as a central defender in the matches against Atalanta and Rayo Vallecano. Despite praise for his solid display against La Dea in the Champions League, Tchouaméni was less convincing this weekend.
Like full-backs Fran García and Lucas Vázquez, who were both at fault for the first two goals conceded against Rayo, the French midfielder was also caught out during the build-up to Vallecano’s 3-3 equaliser. Now benched during a match that ended in a disappointing draw and overshadowed by a costly mistake from Federico Valverde, Raúl Asensio watched the catastrophic performances of Carlo Ancelotti’s preferred defenders.
After Saturday’s game, many Madridistas lamented the absence of the young player, promoted from the reserves this season. As noted by Diario AS, in matches where Raúl Asensio has featured, Los Merengues have conceded less than one goal per game (4 goals in the 5 matches he played). One thing is clear: the tide will turn, and the Italian coach will need to give the young defender more game time to prove he remains the best partner for Antonio Rüdiger in central defence during Eder Militao’s absence.
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