Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso gave the dreaded vote of confidence to Rodrygo. Amid rampant reports that the famed club were looking for buyers for the Brazilian winger, the manager said:
“We must believe and trust Rodrygo. Nobody doubts his quality, he’s a top guy, and he has the right attitude. We’re waiting for him to break this negative moment with a goal. He needs that good feeling after a good game.”
One day after giving that quote, Alonso once again relegated Rodrygo to substitute duty in Real’s 3-1 road win over Athletic Bilbao. The player has had only four starts this season in all competitions, and his 16 total appearances have netted him zero goals, which now makes 30 straight games without scoring, a record for a Real Madrid attacker.
No doubt this is what he needs to say. Alonso has been around soccer long enough to know that attackers go through dry spells such as these. Rodrygo did find the net twice for Brazil against South Korea in a friendly win two months ago. Also, it’s not as if the winger has been useless during this time.
This season, he has created 12 chances in limited action, averaging two per 90 minutes, a respectable number. Five of those opportunities came against Kairat and Marseille, but then a squad like Real needs someone to finish off the minnows.
Alas, the Madridista fans and press are an impatient lot, and we remember how frequently they lost their rag with Fernando Morientes for not being spectacular enough, with Guti for his inconsistency, and with Thomas Gravesen for not being the rugged defensive midfielder that he looked like. And truth be told, 30 games without a goal would make even a more tolerant fanbase wonder if something was wrong.
We know how droughts like these can become vicious circles where bad form on the pitch leads to lower confidence, which leads to worse form on the pitch, etc. etc. Perhaps Alonso can hand Rodrygo a start somewhere in Real’s next three league matches, which are all against teams in the lower half of the table (Celta Vigo, Alavés, and Sevilla).
That failing, maybe the winter break will give the player a chance to clear his head and start afresh. Given how well Rodrygo played in the two seasons preceding the last one and the fact that he’s only 24, there’s every reason for Real Madrid to keep faith with him.