Why Marco Asensio shouldn’t win Real Madrid’s RW battle just yet

The Real Madrid starting lineup in the past few months is a little different from the one that Carlo Ancelotti had in mind when he initially joined during the summer. For example, he started the first game with Eden Hazard on the left while Vinicius Junior was benched. He even made it clear that Marco Asensio would be a central midfielder this season. Clearly, plans change and the manager isn’t to blame for that, he just saw other things that worked. One of the things that changed was Asensio’s place on the right wing.

Everyone knows by now that ten out of eleven starters are known under Ancelotti. The only discussion ever really comes on the right side. Could Asensio start the next game? Will Rodrygo be given a chance? What if we try starting with Gareth Bale there? There are quite a few options but after seeing the team that took the pitch against Paris Saint-Germain and then more recently against Alaves, all signs point to the fact that Ancelotti has made his mind. Marco Asensio is the right winger. However, that shouldn’t be the case just yet.

With all the criticism that Marco Asensio receives, he’s good. You can’t be a bad football player and play the amount that he has done for Real Madrid. We have also seen some glimpses of just how good and effective he can be throughout the course of the season. Asensio’s problem isn’t that he’s a terrible player, it’s that he’s inconsistent. When he has a bad day, it’s very bad. But then he comes up with a moment of brilliance like what we saw last weekend against Alaves and gives himself an argument to start in the next game. Is that enough to be guaranteed a starting place at Real Madrid though?

It’s true that Asensio’s left foot is magical. It has gotten us out of problems a few times this season as he is now the third highest scorer at the club with seven goals right behind Karim Benzema (18) and Vinicius Junior (13). But it’s worth noting that everyone who takes up that spot will offer something that no one else could. Rodrygo’s speed and runs into the box are always troubling for opposition defenders. Bale’s darting runs and his ability to cut into space is unmatched and so are his crosses. No one has something that the other player has and therefore it has to depend on the opposition more than it does on who deserves to start. It’s also worth noting that Bale has a very strong left foot too but Asensio has age and accuracy over the Welshman.

When you do not know what version of Asensio will show up in a game, how can he win the battle at right wing?

Marco Asensio has not shown enough consistency to be the sure-fire starter

So far, what Asensio has actually shown us is the fact that he offers a different outlet in attack. He is definitely good enough to be an impact player off the bench. He’s also useful against teams that generally play in a low block due to his shooting abilities. What he has not shown us, yet again, is consistency. That hurts the club more than you would expect as tactics revolve around what each player brings to the table and when someone is lacking that, the plans fail.

This is not an attack on Asensio because it’s also worth mentioning that other players who were given a run in that position also failed when it came to being consistent. Rodrygo impressed for a while before understandably falling down the pecking order. Bale, Lucas Vazquez, Eden Hazard, and even Federico Valverde all weren’t given enough opportunities to play on the right wing but when they were, they were average overall. Real Madrid cannot accept average but unfortunately, no one is shining there.

Having a player there who is consistent is vital. We saw it on the opposite wing with Vinicius as Los Blancos were flying when he was at his best but once his form dropped a bit, the team struggled with scoring goals. Even though Asensio is Ancelotti’s preferred player on the right at the moment, saying that he has locked down that position is premature.

To lock down a position, you need to show that you are able to be dangerous and create opportunities when it matters. One recent golden chance he had was against PSG and his threat was non-existent. The team, in general, was poor but that’s when a savior is needed. Even Vinicius, who really struggled in the game, had some moments down the left flank where he could have possibly created some danger. Asensio didn’t.

The other players, particularly Rodrygo, deserve the chance to show what they can do on a more consistent basis on the right wing. Banking on Asensio during every game is a big risk and could be problematic for the club. At one point during the season, Rodrygo was the starter and lost his place but that’s because Asensio was still given a lot of opportunities to stake a claim. Right now, the same isn’t being done for the Brazilian even though he has shown that he has what it takes. Having more than one player competing for a position could be healthy for all involved.

Again, Marco Asensio is a good player. Twitter may lead you to believe that he no longer even knows what a football is. But he has not proven to be a player who is important to the team and hasn’t done so ever since his unfortunate ACL injury in 2019. Will that change? It remains to be seen. Currently, though, it’s risky to think that Ancelotti now finally has a standard starting eleven. He still should have ten. The eleventh should continue to be unknown.