Rayo Vallecano vs REAL MADRID | La Liga Fixture #17 | 15/12/2024 9:00pm CET

I find it astonishing that people are complaining about Anchi. With all the injuries we had, this team is only 1 point behind fcb who most of you are shitting your pants about.

For another game after the win in Bergamo, we looked like a team. I see a bright future for this season, just got to sort out the issues with defense.

 

No apples and oranges, both reputable coaches, your post suggest what we are dealing with now is not about players at all but solely about the Coach and lack of tactics, i show even the best tactical mind supposedly out there with great players ( a stipulation you made) doesn't always win, you decide who cares it's City and no one cares about them, and then concede that you can't always win but base it on how many years the coach has managed the team, same way you can tell me he's won the PL i can tell you we've won two doubles, doesn't really matter, we are talking about the now.

all i can see, is a great team struggling with a supposed tactical master, they are no guarantees, we have a great team too, our Coach is coping with injuries, players not at their best, tired because some of them have to play more as the bottom line is that we must always win ( look at the reactions here right now to a draw) and having players also not at their best level because they've just come back from injury, IMO it can't be just about the coach and his tactics, that's far too simplistic at this point, we should be playing better, i grant that, this is not just about tactics, and with that, i'm out, and looking forward to the next game

 

And he should not, look at the reactions here after drawing a regular season game and being 1 point off the leaders, everyone thinks we should automatically destroy every team we play no matter what, but, they still want some players to rest...... and all our problems are just ..... tactics

 

The fullback issues will kill us this season.

 

I think so too. Don’t need to rest all regulars, Vini for example is now suspended against Sevilla, Rodrygo with his niggles hasn’t racked up too much minutes in the past month etc.

Fede, Jude, Rudiger should sit it out as a minimum.

 

Can someone with advance stats pull how many goals we’ve conceded with him on the pitch in proportion to all goals conceded?

it feels like when he’s playing we leak more goals but I don’t know without the data.

 

Last game he played, he had a large role to play in the first goal Athletic scored, almost identical to what happened today on the 3rd Rayo goal where he just stopped tracking the ball and ended up leaving Courtois in no man's land to deal with it.

Was it a mistake? Yes. Was it one of the rather few mistakes he's made since joining the senior club? Yes. Did it merit getting dropped entirely the moment a makeshift CB whose has a miserable season in general was cleared to play? No.

 

This is on the club 100%. Mendy has shown us who he is as a player, and while bringing Fran back was a reasonable decision, we should have sold Mendy and invested in a starter-level left-back. Right-back has also been an ongoing issue. Lucas isn't a natural RB, and Dani, until fairly recently, has struggled with fitness. Instead of addressing these problems, we ignored them, gambled, and doubled down, rather than securing a proper backup RB. And it wasn't that long ago that we were playing a CM at LB because we didn't have options and we've had similar issues at RB just a few seasons back too with both Lucas and Dani injured while closing out the season.

 

Perhaps but it wasn't wrong to try especially given the cost. We need investments in both flanks this summer.

 

Honestly think the best option is to go hard for Theo Hernandez and ditch Mendy and Fran. If they ask for €60 million, just pay up. Real Madrid is so underwhelming in that position.

 

Carvajal position is begging for sub for ages yet we continue playing Vasquez there. What makes you think both LBs will be sold and replaced with brand new guys at this point?

 

Damn when you think about it, all 4 of the FB positions need to be upgraded. I just don't see the club spending money to do that for all 4 spots.

Its hard to defend Fran anymore. He just isn't that good.

 

I think the club never took having a backup RB very serious because we had Dani and in a crunch Nacho could slot in. Lucas is well liked. Has a great attitude and if we're playing teams that sit back he can function as a wing back well enough, or at least I can reason them looking at it that way.

But Nacho is gone. Dani is injured and not likely coming back and certainly not at the level he was before this most recent injury. We're going to need a RB, my preference would be a proper RB and a CB who can play RB in addition to properly addressing the issues at left back.

 

We don't really have to. Don't get me wrong, you can have absolute units and ballers in defence like Rudiger and Ramos, but for the most part, these are positions can be filled at backed up with our youth team.

Asencio is proof of that, but Carlo has poor squad management.

 

Esto es lo que pasó entre Lucas Vázquez y Valverde tras encajar los dos goles.

🗣️ Valverde: “¿Qué pasa Lucas?”

🗣️ Lucas V: “Bueno, no sé, no sé, no sé hombre, no sé qué está pasando”

Define muy bien lo que es esta temporada.

pic.twitter.com/iydEt3dPI0

— 𝑷𝒂𝒖 (@_pauliiita) December 14, 2024

 

Because unlike Carvajal, Mendy and Garcia are not the board's protected cantera player. Carvajal was intentionally left as the only available option so managers cannot replace him.

 

Carvajal, whether protected or not is due for replacement. The fact that his backup is a converted RW who is equally as old is bad planning.

The club has cut it pretty tight before any considerations of bringing in a RB.

 

Ok, but to my recollection, in Romario's day, a 2 man Frontline was more standard than today's 3 man Frontline.

With a front 2, a manager can go with one taller and one shorter striker, whereas in a 3 man Frontline, 2 are typically wingers, with only one striker in the center. Having a shorter guy in the center means that plays/crosses in the air are easily defender by taller defenders. And so, a team with a short #9 has fewer tools to attack their opponents.


Because of this, there aren't as many short strikers as there were back in Romario's day. Ot Michael Owen's day. In fact, I cant think of any top strikers TODAY that are shorter guys off the top of my head.

So, for guys like Endrick and Vitor Roque, I think the 3 man Frontline of today disfavor their height; were they around in the 90s or early aughts, they might enjoy better success.

 

Nah they'll stick to Carvajal until he's 40.

 

🚨 Inigo Perez (Rayo's coach): "I don't like to lie, I think it's Mumin who kicks Vinícius." pic.twitter.com/oxKbm665ep

— Madrid Zone (@theMadridZone) December 15, 2024

 

I'd get Kimmich if I were Real Madrid. He can play both right back and CM.