Real Madrid are on the rise again after three straight clean sheets and three wins have brought them within a point of Barcelona at the top of the La Liga table. Meanwhile, the Blaugrana were unable to react against Las Palmas, despite Hansi Flick making five changes at the hour mark, although he was forced off by injury.
Kylian Mbappé grabbed the second goal for Los Blancos in their 2-0 win over Getafe, but his struggles continued to be in evidence as he missed two good one-on-one chances with David Soria. He almost got a second late after an excellent run, though, and looked more confident.
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It is noted that, despite his missed penalty at Anfield last week, and the whistles in previous weeks, when his name was read by the stadium announcer at the Santiago Bernabeu, Mbappe's name was greeted with a roared There were whistles in the second half, but they were for the Real Madrid team instead of Mbappe.
The opposite was true for Frenkie de Jong. The Dutchman was booed during Barcelona's win over Brest, and despite Hansi Flick's calls for the Blaugrana support to get behind all their players, de Jong received the same treatment on Saturday when he was sent off for a try to save the match against Las. Palmas.
Frenkie de Jong still has pain in his ankle, and both in competition and in training, he shows remarkable insecurity and excessive caution in duels. This hesitation meets Hansi Flick's style, which demands intensity, relentless pressing. So, unless De Jong returns to 100%, his…
— Barcacentre (@barcacentre) December 2, 2024
The situations of the two players are obviously different. De Jong has been at Barcelona for five years without ever really making his mark in Barcelona's midfield, and has been heavily criticized for many years. Mbappe, despite his rocky relationship with Real Madrid fans due to his decision to turn it down twice, still has more room to operate.
