Whether with Xabi Alonso or Álvaro Arbeloa , Real Madrid 's season continues to be complicated. On Wednesday, Los Blancos suffered a real blow, losing 4-2 away to Benfica in the Champions League. As a result, the Merengues have been relegated from the Champions League group stage and will have to go through a two-legged playoff against… Benfica. So, on Sunday, a different performance was expected from the Madrid side at home. Against Rayo Vallecano, things started well with a fine goal from Vinicius Júnior, but Jorge De Frutos equalized after the break. This was followed by fruitless attacks and a tense end to the match where Benfica were reduced to nine men with the dismissals of Pathé Ciss and Pep Chavarria, while Kylian Mbappé had a chance to score from the penalty spot to snatch a precious 2-1 victory.
While the result remains positive and allows Real Madrid to stay within one point of FC Barcelona, who won against Elche (3-1) on Saturday, the performance raises questions, as do Alvaro Arbeloa's choices. Towards the end of the match, Real Madrid's lineup was a caricature, with only one natural defender in the starting eleven: David Alaba, flanked by three midfielders—Eduardo Camavinga, Federico Valverde, and Aurélien Tchouaméni. Further up the pitch, Dani Ceballos was isolated with five attackers: Júnior, Kylian Mbappé, Rodrygo, Brahim Díaz, and Gonçalo Garcia in an atypical right-wing role. This tactic has not gone down well with the Spanish press.
Tactical misunderstanding and a dismal performance
“ Less than a month has passed since then, and yet, time seems to drag on. Since then, the Salamanca-born coach has secured three victories: a convincing win against Villarreal, a resounding attacking victory against Monaco, and a last-gasp win against Rayo Vallecano, who were reduced to nine men after conceding a penalty. Added to this is the humiliating defeat in their first Copa del Rey match against Albacete and the painful 4-2 loss to Benfica, which dropped the club out of the top eight. Beyond the results, the tactical chaos has worsened,” notes Sport . Marca was also harsh on Real Madrid: “They are playing very poorly, but they are the kings of chaos. ”
" In these uncertain times, smiles swing to sadness. And the Bernabéu crowd, seething with anger for almost the entire match, only rediscovered its joy during the final attack, amidst the surrounding chaos. They then forgave their team for its catastrophic performance for most of the game. Real Madrid played badly again, very badly indeed, and for a long time. But when the match descended into total chaos, they managed to snatch victory and remain just one point behind FC Barcelona ," the Spanish media outlet continued. " Real Madrid is on the brink. A penalty converted by Mbappé in stoppage time prevented another collapse for Real Madrid, who were booed by their own fans. Bellingham was injured. Rayo Vallecano finished the match with nine men ," wrote AS , which believes that while Real Madrid is currently on track, the break is imminent. More than ever, Los Blancos are walking a tightrope.
