Real Madrid could not secure all three points against Levante on Matchday 2 of the 2021-2022 LaLiga season, as the Frogs proved, once again, to be pesky competitors to another top side in the league. Jose Campana and Co. were breathtakingly efficient and ruthlessly took advantage of Real’s defensive errors, though Real were efficient in their own right behind a trio of goals from their wingers – including a brace off the bench from a magnificent Vinicius Junior.
Here are five takeaways from Real Madrid’s 3-3 draw with Levante in Valencia on Sunday night.
Carlo Ancelotti is doing exactly what he was hired to do
When Real Madrid pounced at the opportunity to hire Carlo Ancelotti, they did so for two key reasons. The overarching reason is that they were operating under the assumption that they would not be able to make key signings or sales this summer, and, therefore, they needed a manager who would be OK with that.
The corollary reason is more important with respect to Ancelotti’s strengths. Because they were unlikely to sign multiple top players and equally unlikely to find suitors for high-wage players like Isco and Gareth Bale, they needed a “player’s coach” who could both get the most out of those disgruntled veterans and also get the most out of youngsters needing confidence.
We saw all of that come together for Los Blancos at Levante. Gareth Bale scored, Vinicius Junior scored twice, and Isco had one hell of a first half before being taken off to manage his fitness. All three of these players struggled in their last seasons at Real Madrid, yet Ancelotti has breathed new life into them. His approach has sacrificed some defensive solidity, but it has led to a more fluid, exciting attack. And that trade-off just might be worth it.
A renewed Isco emerges
There is a lot of revisionist history regarding Isco that comes to the ex-Malaga man’s detriment. The most egregious is that he was never good for Real Madrid, though there are very, very few people trying to spin that narrative. However, some Madridistas will act as if Isco was not useful in 2019-2020 when Real won LaLiga, when, in fact, he had some very important performances against the likes of Barcelona and Osasuna.
Banking on Isco returning to his world-class form is unrealistic and probably unfair to the midfielder, but for 45 minutes against Levante, he was at that level again. It was astonishing to see how active he was on the pitch, particularly defensively. Isco looked like a man reborn, taking well to Ancelotti’s return in his first starting opportunity under the man who brought Los Blancos La Decima.
Isco was the best player on the pitch with the ball at his feet, and he took full command. He will need to find more splitting passes in future matches, but his dribbling ability gave Real the control they needed with Toni Kroos and Luka Modric both injured.
Nobody wants to be the first to yell “He’s back!” in case they are wrong, but we have years of evidence to say that Isco is capable of playing at this level for a sustained period. The key for Ancelotti will be putting Isco in a position where he can deliver like this consistently, even if he is not always a part of the lineup.
Vinicius Junior just might be putting it all together
We can’t praise Vinicius Junior enough for his performance against Levante on Sunday night, so let’s heap more praise onto the shoulders of this ultra-talented 21-year-old. Vini has held so much responsibility in the Madrid lineup that I wonder if some fans forget how young he is and how tough of a learning curve he faces. And it does not help that people disingenuously bring up his goals-to-games ratio when, like on Sunday night, he often plays off the bench.
Vini was excellent in the late stages of the 4-1 win over Deportivo Alaves, grabbing a goal to seal the deal for Real Madrid. And then he was even better at Levante, cooly using his left foot to beat Aitor Fernandez at the far post on a breakaway and then scoring an even better goal, curling the ball with his toe from a tough angle.
An electrifying player to watch, Vinicius has always been an X-Factor for Real. But Madridistas know he is capable of more and needs to provide more of a goal-scoring threat if he were to be a full-time starter on the left. Well, with a hat-trick haul of goals in less than an hour to start the season, Vini has certainly provided that threat.
What matters the most is that his two goals on Sunday were the result of a cool head and the maintenance of the finishing technique that we know Vini has. His issues were never technical, but rather a matter of needing experience. Perhaps this is the year where it all clicks for the Brazilian in front of goal. And that would have massive implications for Real’s Champions League hopes.
Real Madrid’s back four still needs some work
Questions will be asked about the Real Madrid defense until they have a run of clean sheets, because replacing a center back pairing as colossal as Raphael Varane and Sergio Ramos was always going to be a tough order. Even if Real have confidence in the promising Eder Militao, experienced Nacho Fernandez, and versatile David Alaba, Varane and Ramos comprised one of the best center back partnerships in club football history. And that’s not to mention the understanding they had with each other.
Militao, Nacho, Lucas Vazquez, and David Alaba had some serious communication errors against Levante, which the Frogs were always going to exploit as one of LaLiga’s most dangerous quick-attacking teams. Alaba likes to press and win the ball back, but that would force Nacho to step up and leave Militao and, especially, Vazquez exposed.
Dani Carvajal steadied the back four with his return off the bench, which is no surprise considering 1) Vazquez is not a right back and 2) Carvajal is the most tried-and-true right back on the planet. And his return to health will help Real significantly.
What will help Real’s defense the most, though, is experience and chemistry. Alaba has the skills and understanding of a Real Madrid player, but he is still learning how to play with his teammates and meet the unique demands at the club. It is only a matter of time before he hits his very peak. As for Militao and Nacho, they know each other, but there will still be bumps in the road.
Madridistas should not panic about this defense, but they should be mindful that since Carlo Ancelotti will attack more freely, the back four will be taxed even more than in the past two seasons under Zinedine Zidane.
This is what Gareth Bale must do
Although Real Madrid drew and surrendered three goals, their defensive negatives are fixable and not as concerning as the positives are refreshing. And Gareth Bale, who scored a goal a mere six minutes into the match, was indeed one of the positives for Los Blancos on Matchday 2.
Bale is more motivated than he’s been in years. After scoring double-digit goals for Tottenham in 2020-2021, Bale is already off to the races for Madrid. Now, Madridistas should not get too excited, since Bale scored a brace early in the 2019-2020 season and then never scored again. But since Bale played well in a friendly against Milan and in the opener against Alaves, it is not out of order for fans to get their hopes up. At least a little bit.
There’s no questioning Bale’s experience, technical quality, eye for goal, and knowledge of the game. He was a top-five player in the world at one point, of course. Bale is no longer the freakish athletic threat he once was, but he can still beat defenders one-on-one a couple of times per game as necessary, and, as we saw at Levante, his finishing remains quite strong.
That’s really all Bale needs to do. Real Madrid have been crying out for some sort of goal-scoring production and threat on the final third off the right-hand side. With his know-how and finishing, Bale can provide that. He doesn’t have to drop 8-out-of-10s or even be a consistent threat to defenses. He just has to come in, do his job, score some goals, and not be a passenger like in 2019-2020 (or like Asensio was in 2020-2021).