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Real Madrid achieved a 5-0 Copa del Rey victory over Deportiva Minera to secure qualification for the round of 16 of the tournament. Welcomed to the Estadio Municipal Cartagonova, Fede Valverde opened the scoring from the start with a volley before Eduardo Camavinga headed home minutes later. Arda Güler scored a double and Luka Modrić also contributed with a goal.
Three answers
1. How much would Carlo Ancelotti rotate?
The games move quickly with three games in less than a week to mark the return to action after the winter break, rotation was a real necessity for Carlo Ancelotti. In total, he made 10 changes compared to the team that played against Valencia, with Fede Valverde being the only man who continued in the lineup. He remains the only player to have started every game this season, although he was taken out to rest at half-time, marking only the fifth time in 27 games that he has not reached the full 90 games. To return to May 2024 and an absolute victory over Granada for the last time, Valverde rested and did not start a game. Elsewhere, youngsters were given minutes in defense with four full-backs from La Fábrica (more on this below), and reserve options such as Brahim Díaz, Arda Güler, Andriy Lunin and Endrick Felipe were allowed exceptional starts.
2. Who would stand out from the rotations?
This was the first time in over eight years that Real Madrid had more than 20 shots on goal in a single match, so it stands to reason that many of those who would stand out were offensive players. Perhaps more than anyone else, that would be Arda Güler. The 19-year-old Turk scored two goals, which were skilfully executed and came from good movement and positioning, but he also created more chances than any player with five created. He was crucial in building the game, with three completed dribbles and eight passes into the final third, but also strong defensively, regaining possession seven times, winning eight duels and winning both of his tackles. Since his disappointment at Anfield in November, he has only started three games, including this one, and has scored three goals and registered two assists in those three appearances.
3. How would a young defense fare?
The veteran in defense was Fran García, 25 years old, who was accompanied by Raúl Asencio and debutants Diego Aguado and Lorenzo Aguado. In reality, the youngsters could not have hoped for a quieter evening, as Deportiva Minera only managed one shot on goal and just one touch in the Real Madrid box all afternoon, with only 16 passes completed in the Real Madrid defensive third. Real Madrid. Still, the backline performed well and looked comfortable. On the right, Lorenzo Aguado did not miss a single pass, he had chances to score and won four duels in defense. Diego Aguado and Raúl Asencio also looked composed when tested, and Fran García collected two assists with impressive crosses into the area from the left wing for Camavinga and Güler to score.
three questions
1. Is this the year of success in the Copa del Rey?
This was Real Madrid’s biggest victory in the Copa del Rey since 2018, when a certain Vinícius Júnior made his debut as a starter for Santiago Solari’s club in the 6-1 win over Melilla at the Bernabéu in the previous format, a two-legged match. . This year, six Primera teams have already been eliminated and at least four teams from the lower leagues will be in the draw for the next round. They will be seeded to face Primera teams in that draw, which won’t have a final selection until after Eldense plays Valencia on Tuesday, but that leaves a one in four chance that Real Madrid could be dragged down against a team from lower league in the next round. Win that and Real Madrid will be in the quarterfinals without breaking a sweat.
2. Why wasn’t Gonzalo García given a chance?
Carlo Ancelotti is not known for being generous with minutes for young players, but Monday night was arguably one of his most baffling decisions yet. With a 4-0 lead, he chose to bring on Vinícius Júnior and Kylian Mbappé, who also played against Valencia on Friday and with the Super Cup in sight on Thursday. On the bench, Gonzalo García, 20, who has 14 goals in 17 games for Castilla this season as a striker, must have wondered why he was not chosen. Having recently had to deal with a muscle injury, he is fully fit and was hoping to get 17 minutes of first-team action in cameos against Cádiz and Granada last season, after being left on the bench against Liverpool and Athletic earlier in the season. this year.
3. How can you evaluate Endrick’s performance?
This was Endrick’s first start since the 1-0 defeat to Lille in the Champions League in October, and only his second since joining the club. For this reason, many eyes were on the Brazilian teenager. He had the first big chance of the game, just three minutes in, but his shot went straight to goalkeeper Fran Martínez and he controlled it well. It was one of four so-called big opportunities to fall Endrick’s way. The clearest indication that his shot was not entirely accurate was the xG compared to the xGoT. This comparison helps differentiate between the possibility of scoring from an opportunity and the possibility of Endrick’s shot reaching the back of the net. His total xG for the night was 0.88, but his xGoT was slightly lower at 0.86. As such, his completion was not based on the quality of any of the opportunities he was given. For comparison, Arda Güler’s xG was 0.81, but his xGoT was 1.80. That’s not to say he didn’t play well, he recorded more dribbles than anyone else with five and created four other big chances for others, with an expected assist score of 0.67.
