Real Madrid: 3 takeaways from a fortunate win over Real Valladolid

Marco Asensio might lose his spot

Once again, Marco Asensio was a disappointment for Real Madrid. This matchup against Valladolid was a great opportunity for Asensio to stamp his mark on the team and get a goal. And he had two great chances. However, he could not take care of his technique for the first chance and then drifted offside for the second. Even if he weren’t offside, he still would have flubbed the clear finish anyway, which was pretty embarrassing.

Asensio, worse yet, isn’t adding much to the team either. So not only is he missing chances, but he isn’t creating anything meaningful for his teammates either. Every week, I say something like, “Asensio would’ve liked to have that back,” in reference to a shooting opportunity or a chance to set up a teammate.

Per WhoScored.com, the 25-year-old had no key passes and just one dribble completed and one foul drawn. He did virtually no help defensively either, putting more on Lucas Vazquez’s plate. His lack of speed hurt Madrid’s ability to counter.

The entire right side of Real Madrid’s attack was non-existent against Real Valladolid, and Asensio has to answer for that. I have been more impressed with backup Castilla standout Sergio Arribas than Asensio, and it is getting to a point where Zinedine Zidane may turn to Arribas over Asensio out of frustration with the slow-to-develop right winger.