Real Madrid turned in one of their worst performances of the decade on Tuesday night at the Emirates in a 3-0 loss to Arsenal that may even doom the comeback kings to defeat. At no point did Real Madrid look like they even belonged on the same pitch as the Gunners, who are not even within 10 points of the Premier League title leaders. Without Thibaut Courtois' heroics, this would have been a 6-0 shellacking comparable to the beatdowns handed to them by league rivals Barcelona.
Even the 2018/19 Real Madrid squad would have looked at this result with sheer horror, as the entire squad seemed to be possessed by the spirits of Jesus Vallejo, Thomas Gravesen, and Mariano Diaz in a first leg that belonged in a shack on Elm St.
So if Real Madrid are to have even in fireball's chance in Antartica at turning this tie in the second leg, they'll need these three players to step up. Big time.
LW Vinicius Junior
The list has to start with Vinicius Junior, who has been so putrid over the past two defeats against Valencia and Arsenal that it truly boggles the mind. I mean, here's a guy who was so central to Madrid's last two Champions League titles and was on a crusade to win the Ballon d'Or ahead of a few teammates who, quite frankly, were more consistent throughout the last season.
And instead of taking the Ballon d'Or snub in stride and doing what he said he would do in coming back ten times stronger, Vinicius Jr. has been a hundred times weaker. His statistics in LaLiga look respectable this season, but they are buoyed by a handful of a strong games. Far too often, he has been flat-out awful. Like, 3/10 match rating bad. That's inexcusable at this level. If you want to be mentioned anywhere near the world's best players, then you can only afford to play that poorly in one or maybe two games in a season. But to do this most weeks is laughable.
There is competition in this Real Madrid squad, and Vinicius Jr. is lucky that some of his less hyped teammates are also playing poorly - and perhaps less in the crosshairs because Vinicius himself has hoarded the negative spotlight.
But that doesn't change the fact that Real Madrid NEED Vinicius Jr. more than anyone else. He's the one guy who can capture lightening in a bottle and turn a 3-0 tie. Real Madrid need THAT Vinicius back - not the one who doesn't track back, blows off his teammates and coach, dribbled the ball out of bounds with his left foot after being double-teamed, and shoots the ball right at the goalkeeper instead of passing.
RW Rodrygo Goes
It hurts having to criticize Rodrygo Goes, because he is so much better than what he's allowed to show for Real Madrid, which is a fact that even his more famous teammates endorse. Rodrygo has always been better on the left wing and often outshines Vinicius Jr. in the same position, but because he can and will play on the right, there is no debate or discussion.
And despite Vinicius Jr.'s poor 2024/25 season, there isn't much debate or discussion about Rodrygo playing on the left instead of him because Rodrygo has been nearly as bad. He was terrible, too, against Arsenal, mustering no threat like Vinicius Jr.
I'd at least say that Rodrygo did win some fouls and worked much harder off the ball than his compatriot, but in terms of his overall impact on the game, it was minimal. And it's been frustratingly minimal throughout the season, to the point where it still feels like Rodrygo isn't taking a full step forward since the final months of the 2021/22 season when he started to look like a real superstar.
Rodrygo is "just a star". At the beginning of the season, we were told not to forget the "R" in the Real Madrid attack, but Rodrygo himself left it at home a long time ago. He's had 6 goals and 5 appearances this season in 27 appearances, which is a pretty woeful return for an attacking player at Real Madrid.
CB Antonio Rudiger
I honestly cannot think of a more overrated player in world football than Antonio Rudiger. He has skated by on reputation alone, and, if we're being 100 percent frank here, he wouldn't even be a Real Madrid player if he weren't a free agent in 2022. Because watching Rudiger play, there's no way Madrid would pay even 30 million euros for him.
He may be a fun player to watch and a real character with his antics, but take away the memes and his physical strength, and you get a guy who is very ill-disciplined. Rudiger makes so many mistakes off the ball. He has Sergio Ramos's aggression with none of the technical ability or tactical awareness. It's like someone took the spirit of an uncoached 20-year-old Pepe and put him into a crazy old man's body.
Rudiger has to be a leader on the pitch - not just on paper - for Real Madrid. With David Alaba's body falling apart like a beat-up pick-up truck, it's all on Rudiger to be the veteran stabilizier of this defense. The problem is, there's nothing stable about his defensive playing style.
But if Rudiger can just stay focused and not charge mindlessly at the ball, maybe Real Madrid have a chance. If he can actually feel out who needs help around him and cover while giving proper instructions to the others, maybe Real Madrid have a chance at keeping a clean sheet at the Santiago Bernabeu and letting the others like Vinicius Jr. and Rodrygo step up to the plate, too. Maybe. I don't have much hope, but it's not impossible.