Real Madrid’s game against Marseille sends mixed signals about this new system. It is a good thing that Madrid are more involved and active on the ball, which was one of the biggest criticisms under the previous manager’s system. It’s also good that the defense is working well, or was working well, because it did not look like itself tonight.
If you watched the first 10 to 15 minutes of the game, you’d have noticed that the defenders weren’t troubled much by Marseille. But then came the surprise when Madrid conceded in the 22nd minute. That was a mistake by Arda Güler losing the ball, but the defense had already started to show cracks before that.
And after conceding, the story kept getting worse. Éder Militão and Dean Huijsen kept running into trouble at the hands of the visitors, and it is a miracle they didn’t concede more. Especially from the second half onwards, Militão kept getting worse. And I absolutely believe, in good faith, that he was the worst defender on the pitch.
Real Madrid's worst defender against Marseille was not Dean Huijsen
Earlier this season we wrote about how Militão's return from injury was as good as a new signing, but tonight’s performance puts a dent in that belief. He was simply poor and made an average Marseille forward unit look world-class. There’s something about Real Madrid that doesn’t let its fans watch a game without jump-scares, and Militão did his bit to keep that tradition alive.
Throughout the game, the Brazilian recorded some very dismal stats. According to Sofascore, Militão engaged in five duels, three on the ground and two in the air, and won none. He also lost possession three times, and each of those could have directly resulted in goals had others not come to the rescue.
Militão has always been an asset to the team, but tonight he looked like a liability. Others had to cover for him, and Dani Carvajal was constantly struggling to close spaces left by Militão.
While it is only one game, this was supposed to be an easy win, and Militão played a big part in making it anything but. Real Madrid managed to win only because of two penalties, but it should never have come to that had the defense been solid and the attack more decisive.
While it was a win, it was also a collective disappointment. Despite the new system and its flair, this Real Madrid team can still be beaten by a decently built side slightly better than tonight’s Marseille. I wanted to look forward to the game at Anfield, but now I am just anxious about it. It is tough being a Real Madrid fan in 2025.