«Real Madrid will always be favorites in the Champions League. There are many very good teams, but this is Real’s competition … Madrid and we know that. This sentence from Álvaro Arbeloa after his team’s relaxing night of bathing and massage against Monaco is as true as a temple, but it sums up the roller coaster the white team is on this season… or black, without grey.
From the ridicule in Albacete, the historic whistle from the Bernabéu to the team, with special mention to Vinicius, Bellingham, Valverde and Huijsen against Levante, the handkerchiefs and even some chants of Florentino’s resignation, it has gone in just one game to “how can I not love you” and the license to dream of the sixteenth orejona. It is hyperbolic Madrid in its purest form.
It is true that the duel against Monaco left keys that relieve and encourage us to think about the reconstruction, but it is also worth remembering that a little over two weeks ago, Xabi Alonso’s Madrid beat Betis 5-1 with a hat trick from Gonzalo that seemed like the definitive takeoff, but it only preluded the bad image despite the victory in the Super Cup against Atlético, the defeat against Barça, the dismissal of the Guipuzcoan coach, the promotion from the Castilla of his ‘friend’ Arbeloa and the cup hit at Carlos Belmonte.
The best of the European clash, which leaves Madrid one step away from the top 8 if they do not fail in Da Luz against Mourinho’s Benfica, was the finally outstanding performance of Vinicius, author of a great goal, the first at the Bernabéu after 108 days of drought, two assists and the pass that ended in Kehrer’s own goal. Also, the growth in defense and attack of Arda Güler and the best minutes of Franco Mastantuono and the pressure after losing in some phases. The thing about Mbappé, always looking forward to loving Vini and showing that society works on and off the field, is no longer even news. With his double to open the way to the victory, not in the garbage minutes, he already has 11 goals in six Champions League games and 32 in the 27 games in which he has participated this season. Brutal.
Measurement and reflection
But there are nuances in the match against the tender team led by the Belgian Jean Pocognoli that invite reflection, to measured analysis. Firstly, the very poor version offered by Monaco, the most tame rival in defense that Real Madrid has faced this season. Nobody left so many spaces for the white stars to run and was less intense in their surveillance than this soft French team that does not resemble last year’s team.
The UEFA statistics reflect some data that Álvaro Arbeloa should not ignore. The strike of the Madrid team was enormous, but the numbers reflect 25 arrivals from Real Madrid compared to 20 from Monaco and up to five saves from Thibaut Courtois and a shot against the crossbar due to just one intervention by Swiss goalkeeper Philipp Köhn. In terms of distance traveled, the French won, covering 113.5 kilometers, 2.3 more than the Merengue team.
This Monaco is close to not qualifying among the 24 best, it had just lost in Ligue 1 by 1-3 against Lorient and in the regularity tournament it wanders in the middle of the table, 20 points behind Lens, leader, and with nine defeats in 18 games. His image in Chamartín was so embarrassing that his players are even accused of ending up exchanging shirts with their rivals and even smiling, as if the debacle was not with them. They only needed to ask Mbappé, Vinicius and company for autographs.
Protest and controversial celebrations
Despite the relief of the win, the controversy continues at Real Madrid. This time because of Vini and Bellingham’s celebrations after their goals. Because the Brazilian didn’t even address the fans, he ran towards the center of the field, joined forces with his teammates and ran to hug Arbeloa. “It wasn’t a hug for me but for all of Real Madrid,” the Salamanca coach tried to settle, who this time appealed to unity and not to the division between those who whistle at the president, and in his opinion do not love Real Madrid, and those who are to death with Florentino.
In the case of the Englishman, he scored the sixth and repeatedly made the gesture of drinking by raising his elbow in response to the hoaxes of those who anonymously accused him on social networks of being a regular at Madrid nightlife. «My celebration? Many people say many things. You can cry or enjoy it. He returned the joke to the fans. “I know the truth,” Jude justified. Today everything is joy, but Vini and Bellingham run the risk of these types of demands turning against them.
