Real Madrid missed out on going top of La Liga after being held to a frantic 3-3 draw by Rayo Vallecano.
“There are draws and draws, but this one shows that this is a solid team that has fought and competed,” Carlo Ancelotti said. “We are on the right track.”
But Rayo, led by Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola’s former assistant Inigo Perez, gave Madrid a tough time.
They took a 2-0 lead in the first half through goals from Unai Lopez and Abdul Mumin, before Madrid fought back with efforts from Federico Valverde, Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo. Just when it looked as if Madrid had completed the comeback, Isi Palazon struck to earn Rayo a point.
And there was still time for protests from Madrid at the end when Vinicius Junior claimed a penalty that was not given by referee Juan Martinez Munuera, much to the club’s anger.
Madrid are now one point behind Barcelona at the top of the table, with both teams having played the same number of games before Barca face Leganes tonight.
Here, we analyse the key talking points from Madrid’s visit to Rayo’s Vallecas stadium.
With or without Mbappe and Vinicius Jr, defensive problems remain
Without Kylian Mbappe through injury and with Vinicius Jr given a break at first, Ancelotti had no choice but to reinvent his system. Madrid’s Rodrygo on the left and Bellingham on the right of their 4-4-2 formation at first, with Brahim Diaz and Arda Guler up front.
They were effective in attack. Bellingham remains in fine form and has now scored in seven consecutive games, which he had never previously done in his career — not even in his prolific debut season with Madrid. Guler shone and provided two assists, passing to Valverde for his brilliant long-range effort and to Rodrygo for Madrid’s third.
The forwards were also highly involved in defending — unlike Vinicius Jr and especially Mbappe, who are usually left as free players off the ball.
This has been one of the biggest concerns this season for the coaching staff, who believe they have suffered in defence because of the lack of involvement of their star strikers in tracking back. It is something they have highlighted to the attacking duo.
Lopez heads Rayo in front (Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
Even without those two against Rayo, however, the team’s defensive problems continued. Rayo were excellent in the first half-hour and made the game a nightmare for Madrid’s full-backs, Fran Garcia and Lucas Vazquez.
The 5ft 7in (170cm) Lopez was able to find space in the fourth minute to head calmly past Thibaut Courtois and both of Madrid’s wide defenders also played a part in Rayo’s second goal, converted by Mumin from a corner. Centre-backs Antonio Rudiger and Aurelien Tchouameni were also poorly positioned.
The defensive instability continued in the second half. Palazon’s 64th-minute equaliser came from taking advantage of space behind Madrid’s centre-backs. Madrid have conceded 16 goals in La Liga, compared to 11 at this stage last season.
With or without Mbappe or Vinicius Jr (who came on in the 63rd minute), Madrid have room for improvement in defence.
Rodrygo breaks his goal drought and thrives off the left
He has not been at his best this season, but Rodrygo stepped up when he was needed here. The 23-year-old Brazilian had not scored since September 24 against Alaves and broke that drought here with his 56th-minute effort.
Rodrygo has suffered three muscular injuries this season that have prevented him from holding down a place in the starting XI. His chances of starting have not been helped by Mbappe’s arrival and Ancelotti returning to a system with two strikers.
The coaching staff see him as the most likely player to drop out of attack given they view Vinicius Jr, Bellingham and Mbappe as being ahead of him. But Rodrygo returned to the left-side of Madrid’s attack in Vinicius Jr’s initial absence against Rayo and it could not have benefitted him more.
He scored, provided an assist, produced two shots on goal, completed four of six attempted dribbles and made three key passes. He forced a save from Rayo goalkeeper Augusto Batalla in the 13th minute, produced a dangerous chance for Guler when Madrid were 2-0 down and then provided the cross for Bellingham’s header to make it 2-2.
Rodrygo celebrates his goal (Maria Gracia Jimenez/Soccrates/Getty Images)
But the most satisfying moment for the Brazilian was his effort from distance in the 56th minute that took a deflection off defender Andrei Ratiu and spun past Batalla to make it 3-2. Rodrygo celebrated wildly and all his team-mates joined him, aware of the frustrating situation he is experiencing.
“After a difficult start he is back to his best. We are happy,” Ancelotti said.
Over time Rodrygo has become less central to Ancelotti’s plans. There were rumours of interest from Manchester City in the summer and their manager Pep Guardiola is known to be a big admirer of the Brazilian.
While Rodrygo ended up staying for this season, the possibility of an exit is still being considered by some voices in his camp displeased by his recent lack of prominence.
Rodrygo has averaged a goal or assist every 174 minutes this season, making him the forward with the worst average for Madrid. But his performance against Rayo showed he can offer more to Madrid when he is fit and healthy.
Madrid turn against the referee
In the 75th minute, Guler put a cross into the box that led to a 50-50 situation. Vinicius Jr was brought down by Mumin, who did not appear to touch the ball. The forward protested and Ancelotti was similarly incensed.
Vinicius Jr is brought down by Mumin (Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
The VAR assistant referee Pablo Gonzalez Fuertes saw no sign of a penalty and on-field referee Martinez Munera did not go to the screen to check. Ancelotti does not usually talk about referees but said: “It seems to me very clear in the replay”.
Madrid do tend to be more outspoken about officials’ performances. Its official TV channel highlighted the supposed errors they considered to have been made and the headline of the club’s match report on their official website read, “Controversial refereeing prevents Madrid from winning”.
The anger from Madrid’s leadership was clear. They have long criticised referees and their mistrust has only deepened since the investigation into Barcelona’s payments to former referees chief Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, with Madrid and president Florentino Perez formally having entered into the legal action as injured parties. Enriquez Negreira and Barca have denied any wrongdoing, with the club saying he was hired as an “external consultant” who provided reports “related to professional refereeing”.
This latest decision will do nothing to calm Madrid’s perceived sense of injustice as they continue to call for changes to the Spanish refereeing system.
(Top photo: Pierre-Philippe Marcou/AFP via Getty Images)
