Real Madrid: 3 takeaways from a stellar 4-1 win at Granada in La Liga

We can’t fall for this version of Asensio, not this soon

This was probably Asensio’s best game on the right in three whole years, as pointed out by my fellow colleague. He was active throughout the game. He took on opponents and dribbled past them with ease, he switched to the left at times, he made a ton of off-ball runs, one of which contributed to the goal that he scored. The Spaniard came close to scoring on a couple other occasions, and in general it was a very pleasing performance from Asensio.

But, this wasn’t his first great performance in three years. It has happened before, and each time it happens, fans are given the hope that they’ll see this type of performance every other week. Then, Asensio doesn’t deliver, and the fans are left disappointed once again.

The issue isn’t with his talent, it never was. He has always been a freakishly talented player. But, there are a few things that keep talented players from reaching their potential. Hard work and consistency.

Asensio is probably one of the most inconsistent-yet-talented players in the world. Consistency is what differentiates the great from the good. The sooner Asensio realises that, the better it will be for him in the long run. Ancelotti mentioned that he can be a starter in his squad. So now, he needs to show this version of Asensio far more often than not. If that happens, only then we should expect the same from Asensio in every other game. Credit where it’s due, though, he really was incredible on Sunday. Loved everything about his performance.

He will definitely have good games in the future, but he needs to turn the sparks into an actual fire. Then we’ll talk.