The defeat in Pamplona showed several of the flaws that this Real Madrid team has shown throughout the season. Against Osasuna, defects appeared that had at least been minimized against Real Sociedad and Benfica, but at El Sadar they reappeared.
One of these deficiencies appears when Madrid needs a player to come off the bench to shake up games, to change their face. A stirrer. So far this season, which is already entering its decisive phase, Xabi Alonso and Arbeloa have not found a player who can radically alter games from the bench.
La Liga data places Madrid at the bottom of the pile in terms of goalscoring help from the bench. The Whites’ tally is limited to two goalscorers and two goals: Fran Garcia (the fifth in the 5-1 win over Betis, in extra time) and Vinicius, also after the 90th minute, to seal the 3-0 win in Oviedo. Nothing that made a real difference.
In this respect, at the same level as Madrid, there are only four teams: Oviedo and Alaves (two goalscorers and two goals), plus Getafe and Mallorca (two goalscorers from the bench) but with three goals for their team. Only in the case of Los Blancos have these goals from their substitutes not been valuable in terms of points.
Barcelona do have a plan B
In a relentless fight to be La Liga champion with Barcelona, Hansi Flick does have the peace of mind that when matches get tough, he can look to the bench and find solutions. In La Liga matches, Barcelona has eight players who have started on the bench and have come on to score. In total there are 13 goals, the last one by Fermin this matchday against Levante.
The role of goalscoring substitute has Antoine Griezmann as the most reliable player so far in LaLiga. Six goals in five appearances from the bench make the Rojiblanco the best agitator in LaLiga.
Meanwhile, Madrid are struggling to find that profile. There is little trace of the Brahim Diaz who two seasons ago flew that flag. The Spanish international was the leader of the second unit that gave Ancelotti such good results to lead the team to be champions of LaLiga and the Champions League.Brahim and Joselu were the key to many victories for that last Madrid team that won major titles. The figure of the centre-forward was capital on many occasions, the most important being his two goals against Bayern in the Champions League semi-finals.
That role now belongs to Gonzalo. The youth player has a good number of goals, six, but all of them have been scored in matches in which he has been a starter: three against Betis and one against Real Sociedad, Barcelona (Supercopa) and Albacete (Copa del Rey). His entries to change games, as in Pamplona or against Rayo, have been to play on the right flank, a position in which it is evident that he is not comfortable nor does he exploit his virtues as an area player.
The role of revolutionary could fit the profile of Rodrygo as the Brazilian decided to stay. His goal tally for the season stands at three, also all in games in which he was in the starting eleven: Manchester City, Atletico Madrid (Supercopa) and the LaLiga visit to Vitoria. He has come off the bench 18 times without scoring in any of them.With Endrick on loan at Lyon and forgotten before the loan, when he was the player who could best fit the profile of an agitator, Mastantuono lives in a fog. His role in the team has been diluted – zero minutes in the last two league games – and his appearances from the bench – nine – have had little impact.
With the season already in the stretch where titles take shape, Real Madrid is looking for that player to rely on to change games. So far, no one is raising their hand to claim that role. In the Champions League, Brahim Diaz and Eduardo Camavinga scored in Kazakhstan
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