Real Madrid: 5 burning questions after emphatic El Derbi win

Is Lucas Vazquez the best right winger for Real Madrid?

Marco Asensio has been dreadful in 2020-2021, and while Rodrygo Goes is the team’s best assist provider in all competitions, his long-term future is on the left-hand side. So until Asensio recovers his form, Lucas Vazquez is honestly starting to look like Real Madrid’s best option on the right side.

Vazquez has always been the player who gives it his all, which has endeared him greatly to Zinedine Zidane. But whereas he made so many frustrating mistakes in 2019-2020, Vazquez has been an effective crosser and chance-creator for Los Blancos. He even hit the post on Wednesday and was denied by a brilliant Jan Oblak save (surprise, surprise) on Saturday night, showing surprisingly better sharpshooting than Asensio of late.

With the all-important Dani Carvajal back in the lineup at right back, Vazquez has a real case for being the regular right winger. He completed 88. 2 percent of his passes and three crosses with two key passes vs. Atleti. Defensively, Vazquez had a jaw-dropping six tackles. This performance came after Vazquez dropped a masterclass on Gladbach on both ends of the pitch as a right back.

As a right winger, Vazquez doesn’t have to do the positional things that he cannot do at right back, and he can instead focus on pressing and leading Real defensively from that perspective. His work rate ensures that Real Madrid will never be wanting defensively on the right, and, again, his improved crossing and chance-creation have made him a more in-form option than Asensio.