Madridistas’ wait was finally over when the men in White took the pitch in LaLiga’s first Matchday at Mendizorozza. The season opener went in favor of Los Blancos after a first-half that looked anything but positive. Alaves were given way too much space to exploit and the Basque team was able to manufacture chances easily.
But the second half’s story was different, in a good way. Real brought their A-game and started scoring just two minutes into the half. There were several noteworthy performers. Here is a list of five who had encouraging starts, these aren’t usual Real Madrid saviors like Karim Benzema and Luka Modric, but players who needed to shine under Carlo Ancelotti more than others.
5. Gareth Bale
On number five to kick start the list, we have Real Madrid’s Welsh wizard, Gareth Bale. Away on his loan spell with Tottenham Hotspur, this season would be particularly important for Bale to make his way out of the pressure created by critics. It would now be safe to say that Bale has taken the first step toward it. Not a huge leap, but one small decent step in the right direction.
After a sharp outing against AC Milan in the final game of the preseason, it was pretty clear that Ancelotti’s tricks had worked for Bale. Don Carlo is renowned for his man-managing skills and going forward Bale is a player who can profit most out of him. He needs that extra bit of support and encouragement right now.
Bale has been through a difficult phase as a player, he spent a season on loan due to straining relations with his manager, and then battled through retirement thoughts. But the last outing was a positive one. He took shots, took on opponents, and linked up brilliantly with Benz and Eden Hazard before being replaced by Rodrygo Goes.
He did look refreshed and Don Carlo’s tactics clearly are intent on getting the best out of the Welshman. We hope there’s much more of the same to come from him as the season progresses.
4. Vinicius Junior
On number four, we have one of Real Madrid’s impressive youngsters who other than his finishing-woes is an absolute asset, dangerous and speedy on the pitch. Vinicius Junior replaced Eden Hazard a little after the hour-mark and had a great first game. He nonetheless got himself on the scoresheet.
Vini looked sharp for the limited time that he played. Once again, he showed off some of the amazing dribbling skills that helped him win 3 out of 5 1v1 situations, per SofaScore. He looked creative and was looking to create clear openings.
Vinicius is someone who has been called out for his below-average finishing skills that stayed a constant problem for the youngster in the last season. However, after some great attempts, Vinicius found his reward within injury time and added a fourth goal for Los Blancos.
That, of course, cannot guarantee that his finishing woes are over. The cross from David Alaba was pinpoint and all Vini had to do was get a decent contact to tuck it home, something that the Brazilian was able to do.
Nonetheless, his performance will go down as a brilliant offensive display. His runs on and off the ball were smart and foresighted. His footwork is usually incredible, and it was more of the same this time out. It was predicted of Don Carlo to get more out of the wingers, something that remained a flat spot under Zinedine Zidane last season. Touchwood, things are seemingly in the right direction.
3. Federico Valverde
Yes, Fede Valverde wouldn’t ideally be someone who needed an encouraging start. He has proven that he is someone Real Madrid can depend on to pilot responsibilities in the middle of the park. But, his entry makes sense because Don Carlo and attacking-midfielders is a love story for the ages. Moreover, there was one big pillar missing, Toni Kroos.
There definitely was added pressure on the young Uruguayan. Filling in the boots of Real Madrid’s Midfield-General isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. As such, he did a splendid job and it was a big encouragement as Real Madrid walk into five more weeks of Kroos-less squad lists. Valverde is the fan’s only hope. Apart from him, there’s Isco, whose performances have dropped and would be Carlo’s second-choice in mind until Martin Odegaard is registered for LaLiga.
Coming back to Valverde, the youngster once again displayed beautiful ball-carrying abilities. A passage of play comes to mind where he deceived his marker with a lovely touch, and exploded with pace into Alaves’ penalty area, before squaring it to Benzema, who buried it on the second attempt to score Real’s third.
Valverde ended the match, winning a brilliant 5 out of 6 take-ons. He attempted and completed long balls while placing one key pass. Furthermore, Valverde chipped in with handy defensive work especially in the first half when Alaves had the upper hand.
2. Eden Hazard
Finally, Eden Hazard looked like Eden Hazard. It was a performance with a load of positives to note. One out of them was an obvious visible change. He looked to create more chances than scoring himself, a possible shift toward being a provider than a goal-scorer.
Well, to be honest, fans wouldn’t mind as long as Hazard is being productive for Real Madrid. As the commentator summarized, it was only 66 minutes but they were quality 66 minutes by Hazard for Real Madrid. The Belgian looked in a rejuvenated mood and was visibly putting in that extra shift. He, in my opinion, was the player who worked the hardest in the first half.
He placed a team-high three key passes which again hints at his change in nature. His flick/assist to set Benzema up for a volleyed opener was of supreme quality, the kind that can only be described as ‘out of the planet’. Hazard looked particularly good in finding space in key areas that helped him win three free-kicks for his side.
His dribbling and overall footwork were very clean, to say the least. He registered a passing accuracy of 92%. He caught my eyes especially when he dropped deep to support the defense and lead attacks as soon as the Whites recovered the ball. He needs to continue in the same intensity and back up Benzema in the attack if he wants to break away from the pressure created by his critics.
1. David Alaba
With a drumroll, we are finally here at number one. And, it is someone who needed to have a good start more than any other player on the squad. It obviously is the man making his LaLiga debut, David Alaba. Alaba is a world-class player, without any second thought, and it was more of the same in his official debut for Real Madrid.
The new number four, in my opinion, is a great signing for Real Madrid – something that I also stated in our roundtable predictions for the season. The club, in fact, was very lucky to lodge him in without a transfer fee. Alaba showed his qualities yet again. He did get a tangible reward in form of an assist within injury time as well.
His attacking instincts were very visible in his striding runs with and without the ball. He appeared on the left-flank for Real Madrid during build-up plays and remained very effective. He registered three crosses, of which the one for Vini was completed successfully and, registered two key passes, second to Hazard’s three.
Alaba also popped up in front of the box to take on a volleyed attempt that flew wide but nonetheless, it was visible that the Austrian was a hundred percent into the game and his confidence was sky-high as always. All he needs to do is move forward with the same vigour and show us some more of his versatility. Fans await seeing him at Center-back. He, after all, is Sergio Ramos’s replacement, the new number four, isn’t he?