Real Madrid were 2-1 victors against a dangerous Rayo Vallecano team, a win that took them to the top of the table at least temporarily, although having played a game less than Real Sociedad, who were leading the league until before the game.
Goals from Toni Kroos and Karim Benzema sealed the deal for Real Madrid, who played a great game till a certain point in the second half, after which all hell almost broke loose. They still managed to get out of the game as winners, but Ancelotti wouldn’t be too proud of the way his team performed at the end.
What are my three burning questions from this win?
What in the world happened to Real Madrid after the 70th minute?
These last two games have made me realise that Real Madrid don’t like winning games comfortably. They like to make the fans feel like it’s slipping away before finally sealing the deal. That was the case against Shakhtar, a game in which the team just didn’t play well at all, and Shakhtar kept getting numerous chances to get back into the game. Heroics from Karim Benzema and Vinicius got them the three points, which otherwise would’ve seemed like a distant dream.
Against Rayo, it wasn’t as bad. It was actually pretty good till the 70th minute, Real were dominating the game and there was little to nothing that Rayo were able to do to change it. But, after the 70th minute, they just flipped a switch. Both teams did.
Rayo started creating chances, and Real Madrid started being complacent, which resulted in them conceding a goal by virtue of Rayo’s very own supersub Radamel Falcao, a player that was undroppable during his prime. Rayo were playing well even after scoring the goal, they didn’t stop creating danger, and came very, very close to scoring an equaliser.
If it wasn’t for Kroos’ goal-line clearance, Real wouldn’t have taken home the three points. There was no threat from Los Blancos after the 70th minute, and it all just looked really chaotic. The win is all that matters, but Real Madrid have to be better at closing games. This simply cannot go on.
Is Dani Carvajal finally back to his best?
Dani Carvajal has been a constant talking point since last season. That’s when he became so injury prone, and ever since then, his role has regressed a little bit. It’s not because of a better option in the team, it’s not because of him being bad whenever he plays. It has just been a matter of him not being available in the important games, and Real Madrid fans are getting very used to seeing the team without him.
But, we can appreciate the Spaniard’s presence whenever he is on the pitch, and that was the case against Rayo Vallecano. In the mid-week clash vs Shakhtar, Carvajal had a disastrous game. He was a step slower, he made wasteful passes and was just not as focused as you would like him to be. People were talking about whether it’s just a blip in form or if it’s the effect that the injuries have had on Dani Carvajal.
It was probably just a blip in form, as we saw the Carvajal of old against Rayo Vallecano. He was really good with his pressing, linked up well with fellow countryman Marco Asensio on the right, made darting runs and tracked back whenever Real Madrid had to defend. He had two key passes, two crosses – both of which were accurate. He had five tackles, two interceptions, three blocks, and just worked really hard on both ends of the pitch. It was so good to see him play like this.
What matters more, though, is that he stays fit for a long stretch and does consistently well in all games that he plays. Real Madrid are always going to be cautious with Carvajal now due to his injury, but if he can stay fit for a longer stretch, then Real Madrid have a great chance of competing at all fronts, because their defense needs a player like Carvajal on its right.
What will Real Madrid do without Toni Kroos?
Toni Kroos is just brilliant. It takes a lot of skill to do what he does on a daily basis, and the fact that he makes it all look like it’s a piece of cake is just incredible. He was once again instrumental in Real Madrid’s slightly odd victory over Rayo Vallecano.
He was the instigator for everything Real Madrid tried to do in the offense. He had a total of 76 passes – a game-high, and he completed just under 94% of them. It’s wild to see what he’s able to do effortlessly is something not many players in the world can do. He and Alaba have formed an amazing bond on the pitch, and they’re really important in helping Real out of high press situations. That’s also something I want to see more of this season, because it just seems to me that it’s an amazing partnership that they have.
Kroos is able to mask Casemiro’s deficiencies as a midfielder, and launch one long ball after the other in search of a winger that can do something in the offense. He scored the first goal – an exquisite volley – in the first half, and had a match-saving goal-line clearance in the second half, as I talked about before. If you forget everything else that he did, even then his performance was crucial. If you add them back, his performance becomes much more special.
He completed six out of seven long balls, had two key passes, registered one tackle and one interception, was fouled four times and controlled the tempo of the game for the first 70 minutes. That is an undermined quality of his.
He’s an incredible player, and I have no idea what Real Madrid will do once he retires. There aren’t many better passers in the world right now, in fact, I don’t think there’s anyone that is better than Kroos at what he does best, and there’s no one in the current squad that would be able to replace him.