This time, it was not Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo, or the returning Vinicius Junior. However, as they do time and time again, Real Madrid found a way to break the glass ceiling against a stern Mallorca at the Bernabeu.
The match itself was far from the classic played out between their title rivals Girona and city nemesis Atleti, however, that has been a common theme at the home of Real Madrid this campaign.
Throughout the first half, Madrid struggled against a well-structured and resolute Mallorca, whose 541 set-up provided a difficult test for the home side. Two compact defensive and midfield lines restricted Vinicius and co to nothing but scraps in front of goal, with a left-footed effort from Vinicius that flashed past the post being the biggest scare produced by Carlo Ancelotti’s side.
it was in fact, Mallorca who came the closest to opening the scoring of either side in the first half. After a delightful Dani Rodriguez cross, Antonio Sanchez rose the highest before seeing his header cannon off the underside of the bar where goalkeeper Andriy Lunin could only watch on.
Javier Aguirre and his men would go on to rue missed opportunities as the match progressed, and the manager will have undoubtedly been frustrated as his side was fantastic at the Bernabeu. What caused even more frustration, was how Antonio Rudiger set alight the stadium in the 78th minute. Throughout the encounter, despite the obvious difference in quality, Mallorca matched Madrid at set-pieces and provided an as mentioned, stern test defensively.
Rising through a swarm of bodies, it was the German defender who met a delicious ball from Luka Modric to send a beautiful header into the top right corner of Pedrag Rajkovic’s net. Whilst the goal itself will leave Aguirre pulling his hair out, the goal is ever indicative of Real Madrid’s sides of both the past and the present. They simply find a way. This time it was not Jude Bellingham with his name in lights, it was the ever-reliable Rudiger, netting his first goal since September 2022 which was coincidentally, against Mallorca.
Real Madrid are far from perfect, this current iteration of the side is somewhat of a work in progress. With injuries forcing Aurelien Tchouameni to operate in a central defensive role, and the side’s lack of natural centre-forward (Joselu aside), Ancelotti has somewhat relied on individual brilliance thus far this campaign.
The fact of the matter is, is that points are being secured, however, the sustainability of this will always pose questions.
Despite his elite-level talents, nobody could have expected the red-hot form of Jude Bellingham in a goalscoring sense and this is something that will inevitably slow down. Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo are operating far more centrally than they would like, and it is only a matter of time before Toni Kroos and Luka Modric see their places taken in the starting 11.
Whilst Madrid are not struggling on an individual level, the lack of real attacking structure can often be at a detriment to the side against tests similar to that provided by Mallorca on Wednesday evening. This is not a critique of the players or manager, it is simply worth noting that this Real Madrid side is a perfect example of a work in progress with a ‘square pegs in round holes’ approach at this current time and with Carlo Ancelotti securing his future for another two years, he will no doubt want to move away from this.
With players set to return from the sidelines, the highly-rated Arda Guler anticipating his debut, Brazilian wonderkid, Endryk, arriving in the summer as well as further additions, this could be yet another Real Madrid squad for the history books. And who can forget, the continuous connection with Kylian Mbappe, who sees his Paris Saint Germain contract end in the summer?
For now, however, Carlo Ancelotti and his side are getting the results. There is not the same hype surrounding the club as there is with Girona, nor is there the X-Factor of Real Madrid sides of the past, but they are one thing and that is functional.
Being level on points with Girona (48) and carrying a ten-point lead over their two arch-rivals Atleti and Barcelona puts Los Blancos in an extremely favourable position regarding lifting their 36th La Liga title. Despite being a work in progress at this current moment, things are certainly ticking along nicely for Carlo Ancelotti and Real Madrid.
