For 0:4 in the previous “clásico”.
Once again, they forgave the opponent in the first half
Everyone has known Los Blancos’ style of play for a long time. The team has enough strong players to keep their opponents in suspense for 90 minutes, even in a bad game. Carlo Ancelotti’s boys have already shown their magic in the Champions League against Borussia Dortmund: losing by two goals, they crushed the “black and yellows” and sealed the rout.
Something similar happened in the semi-final of the Spanish Super Cup. In the match against Mallorca, the favorite was clear. However, Madrid were in no hurry to crush their opponents. Real Madrid took a shot at Greif’s goal. Rodrigo, Vinicius came out to shoot, Mbappe went up to dribble and called for a penalty after falling in the box. The same Kylian had a one-on-one chance in the eighth minute – Federico Valverde found the perfect moment for a diagonal cross. But the French striker found himself in an offside position and was unable to handle the ball.
Mallorca, as expected, played as number two in order to maintain the reliability of the defense. We could only hope for counter-attacks, but only one moment was truly acute. In the 19th minute, after a pass from the flank, Muriki lured Rudiger with him and passed him into the line that appeared. Dani Rodriguez moved in, won a race against Mendy and served Larin, but he couldn’t adapt to the throw. De facto, it was the islanders’ only chance.
Again, all questions were only removed at the end
Los Blancos only took the lead in the 63rd minute. It is significant that even this ball was given to Real with great difficulty: Rodrigo, Mbappe, Bellingham were taken out to shoot. The first hit the post, the second hit the goalkeeper. When Jude was on the ball, the goalkeeper and four Mallorca players covered the goal, another tried to cover the Englishman.
And after the goal, the segment was not convincing. Despite the fact that Madrid had the advantage on the ball, they had catastrophic bad luck in finishing. Ancelotti’s team did not avoid a nervous end. At any moment, Real could be caught on the counterattack and equalize. The advantage increased from the second additional minute. And not even the Blancos themselves – Valient scored an own goal. Brahim Diaz cut a fine penetrating pass under Mbappé’s run, but the ball was cut off, the goalkeeper no longer had time to react.
After scoring the second, the “cream” calmed down and finally led the matter to defeat. Rodrigo scored the third goal by moving away from the defender after Vazquez’s throw. The Madrid team took 28 shots against Mallorca, 11 of which were on target. There were not many really sharp episodes. The match did not look like a destruction of the underdog. Ancelotti is honest about the implementation problems:
We started well, but we did not manage to score when we needed to score. We had goalscoring problems until the 90th minute, but that is the result of a match that turned out to be very difficult. We tried to achieve our goal by all possible means. The opponent defended well and also created chances, because they are very dangerous in the air, let’s say. Anything could have happened, but we acted in a fairly balanced way in defense.
Nevertheless, Jude, a lucky bounce and Rodrigo made the match scenario successful.
Rodrigo nibbles a place in the base
It was a difficult time for Real Madrid’s Brazilian striker. Before that, he was a shadow hero. Vinicius attracted more attention with his shocking behavior on the pitch and his loud statements. Rodrigo simply enjoyed the game and wanted to make a difference. When Real Madrid prepared the deal for Mbappé, it was clear that it was Rodrigo who would suffer. Vini does not let himself be offended; he also scores goals in decisive matches on the field. This is the quality of an elite striker. Bellingham was signed recently and, what’s more, he doesn’t compete with Kylian at the same position – they can be combined on the field.
But with Rodrigo, it’s more difficult. He also plays in the attacking group, it all depended on the choice of formation. If the “4-3-1-2” was maintained, the Brazilian sat on the bench. And with the “4-3-3” he returned to the flank – at the same time he dissolved even more on the field. Real Madrid already have enough finishers. Rodrigo still has his own ambitions, which is why there were rumors of departure; even Man City was monitoring this situation.
And yet, the attacker is in no hurry to leave. Despite the progress, Mbappé has not fully adapted to the team and Rodrigo has come to his senses. In his last two league matches in 2024, he has scored two goals and provided two assists, and he has now finished against Mallorca. The statistics are not the most impressive, but it must be taken into account that the 24-year-old footballer is also doing a huge job. Ancelotti needs him. And he is ready to fight for a place on the field and the status of leader.
In the final, there will be a cutting
Real Madrid have great motivation for the Super Cup and especially for the final. The season is not going at all according to Carlo Ancelotti’s plan. The Italian hoped that Mbappé would become the main element of the renewed team and that the “cream” would circulate through La Liga, the Champions League and the associated tournaments. In fact, the team spent the entire first part of the championship chasing Barça and only overtook the Blaugrana in the context of their withdrawal.
In addition to this, the Catalans naturally made fun of the Blancos. In the Clasico at the Santiago Bernabeu, they not only won (although it is already a slap in the face), but also scored a 4-0 defeat, even though the three previous confrontations in official tournaments went in favor of the Madrid team.
Barça’s motivation will also be prohibitive because the Catalans were still allowed to register Olmo and Pau. It has been reported that almost the entire La Liga is against the club in the context of such a decision.
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