Real Madrid: 5 burning questions after incredible win over Barcelona

Where does Lucas Vazquez stand at right back?

Last season, Lucas Vazquez played at right back in a pinch for Los Blancos with Alvaro Odriozola still on loan at Bayern Munich and Dani Carvajal suspended. He didn’t embarrass himself by any means, but he also didn’t look like a viable option at the position.

That all changed at El Clasico. Real Madrid started Nacho Fernandez, as expected, at right back again, and, quite simply, he was awful. Nacho’s lack of speed was badly exposed, he made some really poor decisions, and his ineptitude offensively was clear to see on a stage like El Clasico. Marco Asensio was nullified as a threat, since he had to cover for Nacho.

When Vazquez entered the match late in the first half, he changed the game. The man put in a vintage performance defensively, suddenly going from a liability in that regard this summer to a guy who legitimately looked like a starting right back for Real Madrid. It was remarkable watching Vazquez defend with discipline and intelligence before embarking on some seriously threatening runs. He was quite unlucky not to have ended up with an assist.

Hopefully, Odriozola will return from his injury soon, but Carvajal is still a way’s off from returning. Based on how ineffective Nacho has been in the last few games and how good Vazquez looked on Saturday at the Camp Nou, a discussion needs to be had here. At the very least, Vazquez has increased his value in the final year of his contract.