Super Cup defeat shows all of Real Madrid’s defensive problems

Aurelien Tchouameni’s absence

Playing without a defensive midfielder has hurt Real Madrid quite a lot in the past. From the times of Casemiro, that role is one neither Toni Kroos nor Eduardo Camavinga can fully attend to.

With Tchouameni, as was with Casemiro, it is a case of that role being virtually irreplaceable in the starting XI. Los Blancos were sluggish and easy to play through when out of position, Pedri and Gavi often running things in the very vicinity the Frenchman usually occupies.

Sergio Busquets’ vertical passes split the defence down the centre, proving to be very effective. Kroos, who was left chasing shadows on the night, and the other defenders were often confused as to whether or not to press the free lane down the middle of their goal. Opting to do so aggressively ended up giving Gavi and Robert Lewandowski space to run in behind like on that second goal.

Holding the shape and choosing to face the vertical pass head-on gave the Barcelona attackers too much time on the ball, like on another Lewandowski effort that Thibaut Courtois pushed onto the woodwork.

Playing without Tchouameni’s defensive acumen is something Real Madrid will have to learn and cope with in the games that follow. The solution likely lies in Camavinga and/or Dani Ceballos playing a deeper, more rigid role.

The full-back conundrum

Ferland Mendy’s shortcomings was the topic of last week’s discussion. This time round, Dani Carvajal’s display in the final was what most fans voiced concerns about. The 31-year-old has been down a constant slope of decline in these past few seasons and nothing describes that more than this poor display against Barcelona.

Without Fede Valverde at his best, Carvajal has none of his teammates to shield him or to defend the space ahead of him, given he’s likely to be run past by teenagers like Alejandro Balde if he positions himself higher up in the defensive phase.

Carvajal’s form and struggles with injury make him a difficult profile for the club to rely on for years to come. La Fabrica’s 18-year-old prodigy, Vinicius Tobias, offers a solution to the right-back problem as both Lucas Vazquez and Nacho Fernandez aren’t natural long-term solutions in that position.

On the other flank, Mendy was very decent against Barcelona after a bad performance against Villarreal. Still, the full-back spots remain Carlo Ancelotti’s biggest points of concern going into a crucial stretch of the season.