A night of redemption for Real Madrid . After a three-match losing streak of draws against Rayo Vallecano (0-0), Elche (2-2), and Girona (1-1), the Merengues had lost their top spot and a five-point lead over FC Barcelona. The Blaugrana, fresh off a 3-1 victory over Atlético Madrid on Tuesday night, had provisionally relegated Real Madrid to four points behind before this trip to Bilbao. Last night, the Casa Blanca had everything to play for, as did their increasingly precarious position of coach Xabi Alonso. Divided over his tactical approach, the dressing room was in complete disarray. Following a convincing 3-0 win against the Basque side, the situation has now changed.
Opting for an attacking 4-2-3-1 formation that allowed the senior players in the dressing room to be in advantageous positions, Xabi Alonso made some concessions. Federico Valverde played on the right wing, but in a winger role rather than a full-back. Jude Bellingham was positioned as the playmaker – with some freedom – while Eduardo Camavinga and Aurélien Tchouaméni were positioned behind him in the midfield. Vinicius Junior had the freedom to play on his left wing, while Kylian Mbappé was the center-forward, but with considerable freedom to drop deep and drift wide. The setup could have been chaotic, but it wasn't, as Bilbao were completely overwhelmed. Motivated and focused, Real Madrid made short work of their opponents, as exemplified by Kylian Mbappé's magical performance .
The managers took responsibility
The French striker scored twice and provided an assist. On the wings, Federico Valverde and Vinicius Junior also shone, as did Jude Bellingham. It was a fine overall performance, in which goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois also stood out with two crucial saves when the score was only 1-0. After the match, the Belgian goalkeeper confirmed the team's desire to show a very different side to the one displayed in recent weeks: " In the first half in Girona, we didn't give enough, and we have to understand that today, if we don't play at 100%, we can easily lose. We told ourselves we had to put our words into action. However, every match is different. Athletic Bilbao plays with a high defensive line, which creates more space. It's more difficult for us against Girona or Elche when they defend well. We can improve against teams that play deep. It was a good collective performance." We must continue to work and believe. Ultimately, we are a team, and everyone has their role. Everyone played an excellent match. Everyone wants to contribute to the team's success .
A unifying message from one of Real Madrid's experienced players. Having a strained relationship with Xabi Alonso, Vinicius Junior calmed the storm by embracing his coach in a warm hug . The Basque manager appreciated his team's performance and wants to use it as a benchmark. " It was an important match; we wanted to break the curse. We arrived calm and well-prepared. It was a very complete performance; we stayed focused for the full 90 minutes, conceding virtually no chances. [...] We played a complete and very serious match. We deserved to take the lead. We competed well. We had to win, and we stayed calm. We must continue this momentum. It was an important moment, and we played one of our most accomplished matches ," he said after the game. Thanks in large part to his key players who shone, Xabi Alonso was able to stem the bleeding. It remains to be seen whether this rebound will be the first step towards a new beginning or not…
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