The latest player to have become a Real Madrid man, David Alaba made a commanding statement with his performance for his national side, Austria, at the European Championship. He covered himself in glory with a performance worthy of applauding against the underdogs, North Macedonia in the very first Matchday of the tournament.
David Alaba joined Real Madrid on a free transfer days before the European Championships kicked off. At 28 years of age, there were questions upon the move, if he was the best option for the club right now. He is predominantly a left-back who very recently played as a center-back and has worked decently there.
The left-back position was subject to having a new face. Ferland Mendy’s injury invited Marcelo to take command, but, he played miserably in his outings. Miguel Gutierrez then replaced the veteran and did splendidly well. However, he is a Castilla player and would have his commitments. Additionally, Marcelo’s probable farewell made the case for a new player stronger. MARCA, however, reports that Marcelo is expected to stay for the next season and that makes the left-back position a bit over-crowded.
David Alaba, however, with a masterclass in his first official appearance (friendlies aside) since signing for Real Madrid made a huge statement for a permanent starter’s position. It would be interesting to see how he is accommodated to the starting XI by Carlo Ancelotti, who would be drooling over the Austrian’s performance and, at the same time scratching his head over devising his tactics.
David Alaba’s passing remained the highlight
Per WhoScored, David Alaba registered a whopping 94% pass completion rate in a total of 99 completed passes that included two successful crosses, two key passes, and one peach of an assist to the substitute Michael Gregoritsch that helped Austria restore their lead from the first half at the 78th minute.
A big part of his play was his long balls. He completed eleven of them successfully and if you watched the match, you’d know how dangerous in shape a few of them were. Completing eleven long balls in a match is a Kroosesque record against any given side. Alaba doing so is a huge positive, the club desperately needs better service from the left-hand side in Mendy’s absence and Marcelo just hasn’t been too effective.
Apart from his sparkling passing record, Alaba also made sure to do his defensive chores respectfully. He registered three successful tackles, one interception, and two vital clearances. Offensively, he was able to win his side a freekick while mishandling the ball only once in the entire 90 minutes of the game. And, that is sheer quality, a true captain’s performance.
Deservedly, Alaba was named the player of the match. There is a long way to go for the new Madridista and his Austrian side in the competition. As such, we only hope to see even more mesmerizing displays from the captain. A place in the knockouts, however, looks insight. They travel to Amsterdam next to take on the stiffest among their group rivals, the Netherlands.
His performance in the first match indeed must have cleared a lot of fans’ doubts about him being the wrong move to make for the Royal White club. He showed his value and Real Madrid may have just locked in a great free transfer, to say the least. The signs have been positive and Madridistas now have all the rights to be hopeful.