Real Madrid: 3 things to learn from loss against Rayo Vallecano

Real Madrid’s first LaLiga defeat occurred in a way that no Madridista would have preferred. Even after dominating the league and staying unbeaten for an extended period of time, Real Madrid has been driven back to second place behind FC Barcelona, a team they had previously defeated handsomely.

There isn’t much to take away from this performance. Everything that could possibly go wrong did. The squad appeared hesitant to give its all, and there was little evidence of desire or hunger. Rayo, on the other hand, made things much more tough by employing fast-paced tactics that left Los Blancos susceptible on every bit of the field.

At the Vallecas, Real Madrid was fragmented and just battled to survive the 90 minutes. The team was shattered and was frequently pushed over by the hosts. Carlo Ancelotti’s players were unable to extract any positives from the game and delivered a performance they would want to forget.

This has always been the case with Real Madrid’s midweek games against lower-level opposition. There were a few things that stood out from this game and the aftermath, which we will go over in this piece.

3. Real Madrid’s defensive errors will hurt them in the long run

The most notable and apparent feature of the game was the defensive error that basically ruined the game. The gaffes were obvious, and the back four were bewildered and overwhelmed by Rayo.

Rayo’s heavy press was too much for the defenders, who struggled to carry the ball forward and initiate movements. The squad was unable to build from the back, which allowed the hosts to stymie every Los Blancos transition and disconnect the rest of the team from the defensive line.

This is not the first time Real’s defense has fallen short of expectations. They had suffered virtually the whole season, but it was scarcely brought to the fore because of the game-winning goals. This time, the goals were insufficient, and the hazards of defense were finally called into question. The issue has been present for quite some time, but it is only now that it is becoming more apparent.

While it is encouraging that the hazards are now being addressed, it is always better to be late than never, is it truly beneficial in the long run? Definitely not. If a side’s flaws only become apparent after it has lost you important points, it is clearly not worth it.

It demonstrates the flawed leadership and more reactive character of the eyes in the management that the problems that had lasted for a long time were cloaked because of the end result. The offensive front cannot execute on a daily basis, which is what happened against Rayo, exposing the defensive flaws.

This approach of ignoring issues until they become costly is not helpful and may result in worse consequences in the long term. Today it is the defense, tomorrow it will be the entire squad, and there will be no time for rectification when the flaws are discovered. They will have everything to regret and nothing to learn from.