Real Madrid: 5 burning questions after 3-2 win over Inter Milan

Real Madrid withstood a second-half comeback from Inter Milan, grabbed a late winner, and got the three points they needed vs. Inter Milan. But what’s next?

It is a rare sight for Real Madrid to have a game without any sort of drama. Their win over the weekend against Huesca was the only time in 2020-2021 that Los Blancos cruised to a victory, and, even then, they were out-of-sorts until Eden Hazard’s wondergoal from distance late in the first half.

Los Blancos dominated the first half of their match against Inter Milan, even though they conceded a goal to Lautaro Martinez after Nicolo Barella’s jaw-dropping backheel assist.

But then in the second half, Real allowed Inter back into the game with some woeful defending. Somehow, they hung on 2-2, didn’t pay for a few glaring misses, and eventually won the game 3-2 after Rodrygo Goes’ wonderful strike in the 80th minute.

Here are five burning questions for Real Madrid as they head into their next match against Valencia at the Mestalla.

Will Marco Asensio step up at Valencia?

Marco Asensio is an important player to Real Madrid, because he is the only healthy left-footed attacker. So he is the most ideal option on the right side of the attack to grab goals. He scored three times after returning from injury this summer, but he has not scored or assisted in the 2020-2021 season in any competition. (Caveat: He helped create Vinicius Junior’s goal in the 1-0 win over Real Valladolid.)

Asensio was shocking against Inter Milan. He made a lot of poor passes, lost the ball frequently, and was isolated. He was similarly poor in his last three La Liga matches, which does not bode well for this weekend’s match against Valencia.

But remember, Asensio scored with his first touch back from injury against Valencia in June and later assisted for Karim Benzema. The quality is there. Madridistas just need to see it.