As Real Madrid prepare for their fixture following the November international matches, they are staring down a six-point deficit in the title race against Barcelona, and even though they have a game in hand, the gap actually feels wider than just six points.
That’s because Real Madrid were annihilated in their last matchup against Barcelona, falling 4-0 in El Clasico for the second time in Carlo Ancelotti’s second reign, which has been more famous for its two Champions Leagues but is now in its biggest moment of crisis.
Although Real Madrid bounced back from both the Clasico defeat and a 3-1 loss to AC Milan in the Champions League with a 4-0 victory over Osasuna, until Los Blancos comfortably win a big match, Carletto won’t stop feeling the heat.
The legendary manager has come under fire for a number of tactical reasons, but the most frustrating has been the lack of minutes for the team’s young standouts, specifically Arda Guler, who scored six goals in very limited action as a first year Madridista in 2023/24 before setting the European Championships ablaze.
Both he and new signing Endrick were expected to play key roles this season, as the Brazilian phenom had a pair of very strong performances for Real Madrid this season, including an unforgettable solo goal to seal a Champions League win over German underdogs Stuttgart.
Since then, Endrick has been discarded, even in matches in which he would have been a boost over a struggling Kylian Mbappe, while Guler has been a visibly forlorn figure on the bench with increasing transfer links to top European sides looking to vulture one of the world’s biggest talents.
But there’s a third talent on the Real Madrid bench who has been buried without much action, even though he was sensational for the club in the 2023/24 season after making a summer move.
Brahim Diaz, signed from Manchester City in 2018, was a quiet standout for Real Madrid in the 2019/20 season, earning a major loan move to Milan where he stood out and proved he could earn a spot in Carlo’s rotation.
He then exceeded expectations in the 2023/24 season, playing a pivotal role off the bench as Real Madrid secured another double. Brahim made 18 La Liga starts and 13 bench appearances, scoring a healthy 8 goals and 6 assists for a career high 0.82 goals and assists per 90 minutes.
Those are exceptional numbers. In the last 365 days, Brahim is in the 89th percentile among attacking midfielders and wingers in non-penalty goals per 90, the 98th in assists per 90, and the 94th in successful take-ons per 90.
And yet, Brahim has been used even less frequently than either Endrick or Guler this season, earning just 205 minutes and 2 starts in La Liga. In that brief amount of time, Brahim has managed to score a goal with two assists, averaging 1.32 goals and assists per 90.
It’s baffling that Ancelotti isn’t making more use of a player putting up exceptional efficiency numbers in goals and assists who is ambipedal and adept at winning one-on-ones in tight areas while creating chances with inventive, accurate passes in the final third.
Brahim isn’t a superstar like Vinicius Jr. or Kylian Mbappe, nor is he a future superstar like Endrick or Guler. But the 25-year-old is an excellent, versatile attacking player in his prime who can change games off the bench with his skill set and consistently deliver end product to a Real Madrid side that has, at times, lacked that killer edge in 2024/25.
With a career high 5.74 shot-creating actions per 90 in a very limited sample size this season, Brahim is showing signs of reaching new heights as he enters the best years of his career, and, therefore, it is an even bigger travesty that Carlo isn’t calling upon him more often to help him secure wins in what has been a difficult season thus far.
