Real Madrid will be disappointed to have only come away from Sunday’s Madrid derby with a point, but given the situations that they had to deal with coming into the match, they will probably be satisfied on the whole.
Antonio Rudiger missed the fixture due to injury, and he was joined by Vinicius Junior, who pulled out of the starting line-up after picking up a knock in the warm-up. Joselu Mato was supposed to replace him, before it was decided that Brahim Diaz would play instead.
It turned out to be a masterstroke from Carlo Ancelotti, as Brahim scored Real Madrid’s goal, and the 24-year-old was a constant threat during his time on the pitch. The Italian explained the reason behind opting for Brahim over Joselu, as per Marca.
“We would have had to change the whole defensive system with Joselu, so we preferred to go for Brahim.”
Real Madrid felt hard done by to have not been awarded at least one penalty against Atleti, although Ancelotti was tight-lipped on the matter when he spoke to the press. However, he did speak on Rudiger’s situation, and also Eduardo Camavinga, who was struggling at the end of the match with a knock.
“Hopefully (Rudiger) will be back next game.
“Camavinga’s injury? Nothing, just a knock.”
Real Madrid are now two points clear at the top of the La Liga table, and they host nearest challengers Girona in a crucial clash next weekend at the Santiago Bernabeu. Ancelotti will hope to have as many players as possible back for that one.
Brahim is wasting his talents at Madrid. If I were in his shoes, I’d leave in search of major minutes. He’s already 24. He can start for lots of teams in Europe’s top leagues. Now that Mbappé is coming and with Güler still on the team, if Vinni isn’t sold, Brahim may never see the field again.