Although Los Blancos' marquee signing has had a slow start, strong bench means there's nothing to worry about
Kylian Mbappe half jogs off the pitch, politely applauding the Santiago Bernabeu fans. There were boos at half time, and there are a few whistles and jeers now.
It is the 86th minute of Real Madrid’s La Liga clash against Real Valladolid and Mbappe has failed to score – again. Two minutes later, though, the stadium erupts, a cacophony of Blancos joy. Brahim Diaz has made it 2-0. Another seven, and Endrick sneaks a shot in at the near post. Madrid take a 3-0 lead. Game over, win number one of the season in the books. Mbappe who?
This was the story of Los Blancos' fixture last Sunday. Their main man went missing once again, and is now without a goal in his first two La Liga fixtures. Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo, too, endured forgettable evenings.
But that didn't really matter. Two of Madrid's goalscorers came off the bench. The third was a workmanlike midfielder. Jude Bellingham, injured, didn't play at all. Still, Madrid made it all look relatively easy in the end, all thanks to the guys who don't usually make the headlines. It is the big names that will be remembered from this side, but if success is to come, those who operate out of the spotlight will need to step up as well.
GettyMbappe's poor start
There was an expectation that Mbappe would come in and make this all look very easy. After all, despite the immense scrutiny, the France captain made Ligue 1 look laughably easy. He won six golden boots in a row, eclipsing the 40-goal mark in three straight seasons. Even when sharing the load with Lionel Messi and Neymar, Mbappe developed into perhaps the finest goalscorer on the planet.
Thus far, it hasn't quite been that simple. It was easy to see the problems forming. Mbappe is a left-winger forced to play as a striker. Vinicius Jr is a left-winger who can occasionally drift around. Rodrygo, despite playing on the right, doesn't offer much in the way of width. And the master provider and orchestrator behind them all, Bellingham, loves the left half space. Madrid, at least at first, were always going to be operating with half of the pitch.
And so it has happened. Madrid are fluid only sparingly. Once or twice every game thus far, two players have made the same run. Spaces, in general, aren't being maximised. Mbappe, as a result, isn't quite enjoying the same freedom as he did in Paris. He has tallied eight shots so far; five have been on target. He's missed one sitter, and been denied by a tidy save after he tried to overcomplicate things. At PSG, he routinely averaged nearly five shots per 90 minutes. At Madrid, his chances have been fewer, and, so far, he's not quite as clinical.
AdvertisementGettyVinicius and Rodrygo struggling
He is not the only player to blame here. Mbappe may be the one who will take the blame for when goals don't flow, but Rodrygo and Vinicius, too, dragged their way through the game on Sunday.
The latter had one of those rare, underwhelming appearances: lots of pretty stuff, three chances created, but no final product to round it all off. Rodrygo had even less of an impact. He only lasted 70 minutes, and had an glorious chance to square the ball to a wide open Vinicius – but fluffed his cross. And with no Bellingham to offer that admittedly unfair fourth option, Los Blancos were forced to turn elsewhere.
Getty ImagesHow the game was won
Los Blancos, in truth, were on the pathway to winning this thing after 50 minutes. Federico Valverde provided the goal – a deflected arrow into the bottom corner from a free-kick. Even with the attacking trio misfiring, it still seemed like Los Blancos had control – the occasional Valladolid counter notwithstanding.
And then when things needed changing, Ancelotti peered over to a bench stacked with elite talent young and old. Luka Modric was the first to come on, replacing Arda Guler – who is almost half his age. He was followed by Brahim Diaz. Endrick was then introduced after 86 minutes. Modric helped assert control, giving Madrid a stranglehold on the game, while the latter pair provided the goals, putting Valladolid away in reasonably comfortable fashion.
Getty ImagesThe bench
The range of talent on the bench is a luxury that very few teams possess. Zoom out, in fact, and you can make the case that some of them really shouldn't be there. Modric is 38 – Ancelotti is squeezing the last drops of football out of the great Croatian. In a sensible world, had he played for a different club for the bulk of his European career, Modric should be in Saudi Arabia or MLS by now. Instead, he is comfortable to come off the bench and dictate things for 30 minutes – the ultimate midfield closer.
Diaz is even more of a curious case. He made good on the talent long promised with two fine seasons on loan at Milan from 2021-2023. Everything pointed towards a permanent transfer away from his parent club. Instead, he opted to stay. Last season he found the net eight times and added six assists in La Liga. He made 18 starts, and scored some important goals in the Champions League.
And then we arrive at Endrick. He is not the next Pele. No one really knows how good he can be yet (Lamine Yamal, donning the shirt of Los Blancos' great rivals, might be better). He didn't really show up at Copa America, and struggled through his first two Madrid performances. A loan move might be sensible. Instead, the supposed Bobby Charlton fanboy stuck around. Eduardo Camavinga, who was sidelined with an injury, will also certainly be in the fold.
