Three questions and three answers from Real Madrid 4-2 Sevilla

Real Madrid ended the 2024 calendar year with an entertaining 4-2 victory courtesy of some first-half wonder goals and incisive attacking play. Kylian Mbappé and Fede Valverde both scored from distance early on, before Rodrygo Goes got in on the act before half-time. Isaac Romero then scored a free header to pull one back for Sevilla, with Brahim Díaz making sure of the win in the second half despite Dodi Lukebakio’s late consolation goal for Sevilla.

Three answers

1. Could Real Madrid end 2024 on a high?

The Best award for Vinícius Júnior and the corresponding coach’s award for Carlo Ancelotti on Tuesday, the Intercontinental Cup victory on Wednesday, and now a resounding home win at a packed Bernabéu on Sunday is a good way to wrap up the 2024 calendar year for Real Madrid. It takes their calendar year points total to 90, their best return since 2021 when the team scored 97 points with an additional three games played, and beats off Atlético Madrid and FC Barcelona, both of whom recorded more points in the 2023 calendar year than Real Madrid. Add in the silverware, with a Spanish Super Cup, La Liga, Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, and FIFA Intercontinental Cup, and it’s been a pretty good year to be a Madridista.

2. Would the midweek travels have an influence on proceedings?

Since Sevilla’s game against Celta Vigo ended last Saturday, Real Madrid played an intense 90 minutes at Vallecas against Rayo Vallecano a few hours later. They then trained as usual on Monday, before taking a six and a half-hour flight to Qatar on Tuesday, playing 90 minutes against Pachuca in the Intercontinental Cup on Wednesday, and flying back overnight on Wednesday night. They then trained usually on Friday and Saturday. Meanwhile, Sevilla only had the journey from Seville to Madrid to make on Saturday, and have been able to prepare for this game with five full training sessions. If anything that upped the pressure to make an impact early on while Real Madrid had the freshest legs and were able to match the intensity. Kylian Mbappé stepped up with a rocket of a shot in just the 10th minute to make it an easier occasion.

3. How would the Bernabéu see off Jesús Navas?

While the fans at the Bernabéu were primarily there on Sunday to see the men dressed in white, any Spanish football fan was aware of the fact that this game was Jesús Navas’ final ever appearance after a glittering career. He’s made 887 appearances for Sevilla and Manchester City, a further 56 for Spain, with a career total of 52 goals and 165 assists, and winning a World Cup title, two European Championships, a UEFA Nations League, four Europa Leagues, a European Super Cup, two Copa del Reys, a Spanish Super Cup, two English League Cups and two Premier League titles. He’s an iconic figure in the game, and a club legend for Sevilla, who earned his guard of honour and standing ovation from the whole stadium ahead of the game and when he came on as a second-half substitute to the applause of everyone at the Bernabéu.

Three questions

1. Why was Eduardo Camavinga starting at left-back?

There was some surprise with the team selection as it included the choice from Carlo Ancelotti to field Eduardo Camavinga at left-back. Ferland Mendy had been included in the squad as he recovered from his recent injury, and Fran García was also fit and in the squad. Camavinga played the full 90 minutes at left-back, registering more tackles than anyone else with four, and won eight of his 11 duels with a robust display. However, he reflected a lack of balance across the backline which Sevilla were able to exploit. Aurélien Tchouameni switched off for Isaac Romero’s goal after Antonio Rüdiger stepped up needlessly, and then the second goal saw Thibaut Courtois unusually beaten at his near post after Raúl Asencio’s experiment at right-back saw him exploited for pace.

2. Is Kylian Mbappé finding his feet at last?

Kylian Mbappé was the first man to score at the Bernabéu on Sunday afternoon and he did so to make it four games in a row in which he has scored, with two either side of the injury which forced him off against Atalanta in the Champions League. If ever Real Madrid needed a reaction to the poor run of form which saw him so harshly criticised after the defeats to Liverpool and Athletic Club, this was exactly it. His goal in the 10th minute here saw him take the game by the scruff of the next and show a confidence to smash the ball into the back of the net which was missing for many of his opening months as a Real Madrid player. Playing centrally here, with Rodrygo Goes and Brahim Diaz on either side, he was dropping deeper and was more involved than other times this season when he has played in the same role. This Mbappé is a much more promising one, and goals like this one are exactly what Madridistas were hoping to see when he arrived in the summer.

3. What next for the winter break?

Real Madrid’s winter break will be cut short somewhat due to the rearranged La Liga fixture against Valencia on January 3rd. Regardless, coach Carlo Ancelotti has opted to give his players as much rest as possible, and they are not expected to return to training until Friday, on December 27th, when they will come back to Valdebebas to train and prepare, starting with the annual open training session on December 30th, and then building up to the game at Mestalla on the Friday of the same week. This will be Real Madrid’s longest break without fixtures since the summer, and for many players who were involved in national team competitions, this will be the longest break in 12 months.

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