Real Madrid put on another attacking show in Qatar, taking care of business with a 3-0 win over Mexican side Pachuca to take home the Intercontinental Cup and affirm their status as the best club in the world in 2024, having won LaLiga and the Champions League in 2023/24.
But coming into the game, Real Madrid were only second best in LaLiga to rivals Barcelona and had just dropped more points in the league, drawing 3-3 with Rayo Vallecano last weekend.
This result was a far more professional one, akin to their 3-0 win the previous weekend over last season’s title challengers Girona. In this one, Real Madrid received spellbinding performance from Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe in their returns to the starting lineup after Vini was “rested” against Rayo and Mbappe was out with an injury he sustained the previous week vs. Atalanta.
The 3-0 Intercontinental Cup triumph gives Real Madrid hope heading into the new year, with their final game in LaLiga before January coming on Sunday against Sevilla.
Here are three burning questions I have for Real Madrid after their latest result.
Is this the turning point for Kylian Mbappe?
Kylian Mbappe scored an early opener last week against Atalanta and looked the sharpest he has in a Real Madrid kit, but, unfortunately, he was unable to follow that up due to a hamstring injury.
The French superstar returned in time for the final in Qatar and was, alongside FIFA “The Best” winner Vinicius Junior, one of the standout players of the match. Mbappe looked lively, showcasing his intelligent movement off the ball and seemed to improve as a dribbler on the ball as the game progressed.
He finished with two chances created and a whopping five dribbles completed to go with a goal and an assist in the 3-0 win. Mbappe had this air about him while interchanging with teammates that showed a level of confidence akin to his work early in his career in Paris or even his finest days with the French national team.
Now, Mbappe still isn’t at his best level when it comes to leaving defenders in the dust or smashing home the most difficult of finishes, and it’s going to take a few more weeks before he’s taking over games on his own like he used to.
But these performances against Atalanta and Pachuca are surely a sign of things to come. No longer beating himself up for every dispossession or missed opportunity, Mbappe is playing the game with less pressure and with the carefree elegance of his youth – that is, in spurts and stretches.
The full amalgamation of his talents and his relaxed approach should bear their fruits in the new year, and all those who wrote off the 25-year-old too forcefully – and, of course, far too quickly – will soon truly regret their words.
Can Fran Garcia solve his biggest weakness?
Quietly, Fran Garcia was one of the biggest positives on the pitch for Real Madrid against Pachuca, and he was just as responsible as goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois for a clean sheet against a rather underrated attack that includes European footballing veterans like striker Salomon Rondon and winger Oussama Idrissi.
Fran bounced back nicely after being torn apart by former employers Rayo Vallecano at the weekend, as he won three tackles with two interceptions with three blocked shots and five clearances in what was honestly an elite all-around performance at the left back position.
He covered inside the box and out, actively watching attackers off the ball and recovering from any missteps he made due to the aggressive nature of his attacking forays with Real Madrid, as expected, playing on the front foot against the underdogs.
Fran put his body on the line frequently with decisive blocks, and while his attacking involvement was statistically insignificant, his passing was crisp (a 90 percent completion rate) and his movement off the ball intelligent in allowing Vinicius Jr. to have the space he needed to operate.
Clearly, the talent is there, or else Real Madrid wouldn’t have signed him back after he was one of the top left backs in LaLiga with Rayo. The thing is, Fran has to start putting all the intelligence and athletic tools he has together against better teams.
One of his big weaknesses that pops up against superior opponents, both in their tactical acumen and athletic prowess, is a mental one. Fran plays scared. He doesn’t want the ball, he hesitates in his own half when receiving it, and he gets burned because he’s too finicky in defense against top teams.
What I mean by that is, Fran will give wingers too much of a cushion in one-on-ones so that they have all the time they need to cross, he will second-guess his own instincts when trying to engage or cover someone else which leaves him in no man’s land, and when he does go for tackles he does this weird thing where he “nibbles” forward at the player on the ball for the second before retreating (which allows the attacker to blow by him or fake him out).
If Fran can play with more composure, trust his instincts, and lock down better players in one-on-ones, he can be the solution Real Madrid need – at least for this season – at left back.
Basically, if he can play like this defensively against actual good teams in LaLiga, he will be in business.
Will Rodrygo Goes score 15 goals in a season?
Rodrygo Goes has never scored more than 10 goals in a single LaLiga season. He reached that career high in 2023/24 but it took him over 2,300 minutes to do so. Previously, Rodrygo hit 2,300 minutes twice in his career but only scored 8 goals both times – once for Real Madrid and once for Santos.
While Real Madrid actually need fewer goals from the Brazilian this season with Kylian Mbappe – and Endrick – in the fold, as well as more contributions from Arda Guler and Brahim Diaz in their encore seasons, Rodrygo should, in theory, be scoring more goals with more space to work with and more experience.
Rodrygo needs to be getting better and hitting more milestones every year. While I agree with the general sentiment that Rodrygo is underrated globally and too targeted by some media types around Madrid, I also agree with the notion that the club should be pushing him to do even more.
The 23-year-old very obviously has a world of potential, and he came to Real Madrid as pretty close in caliber to Vinicius Jr. as a prospect. So while Vini Jr. is competing for the Ballon d’Or and pushing for 20 goals in a season, Rodrygo is barely hitting 10.
Against Pachuca, Rodrygo scored a lovely curling effort after dancing around the edge of the box, bamboozling the defense with his opponents falling to the floor as if tethered to the Brazilian’s fingers like strings.
Rodrygo is capable of the same magical moments that Mbappe and Vinicius Jr. are, and we have seen that several times, even this season. We have also seen Real Madrid carry three 20-goal forwards on several occasions.
Although 20 may be a stretch for Rodrygo to jump to and double on last season’s tally, 15 is a more than reasonable goal and should be something he pushes for. Carlo Ancelotti and the club should set that as his new target, and with improved finishing and an ever-improving mindset as more of a striker or second-striker than winger, the ex-Santos man can achieve this.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He covered Real Madrid from 2019-2022 for The Real Champs as a site manager. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.