TALAVERA GOALIE JAIME GONZALEZ SLAMS XABI ALONSO TACTICS AFTER DRAMATIC REAL MADRID WIN
Real Madrid survives a 3-2 thriller against Talavera. Goalie Jaime Gonzalez rips Xabi Alonso for stalling in the second half.
Talavera goalie Jaime González ripped into Real Madrid after Wednesday's Copa del Rey game. He couldn't believe the tactics Xabi Alonso's team had to use to barely avoid a huge upset.
Jaime was pretty bold for a goalie who just let in three goals. The last one was a real embarrassment—Mbappé's shot bounced weirdly off the turf and went right through his gloves. Real Madrid did win 3–2 to go to the next round, but only after their goalie, Andriy Lunin, made a great save at the last second to stop Talavera from tying the game.
In the first half, Madrid was all over Talavera at their small stadium, letting them get only one shot on goal while bombarding Jaime with shots. Mbappé scored first with a penalty in the 41st minute, then forced another goal right before halftime when his pass bounced off a defender and into the net.
But the second half was totally different.
Real Madrid just started kicking the ball downfield, sitting back, and stalling, Jaime complained, calling Alonso's plan unbelievable.
In the last 45 minutes, Talavera—who are struggling in the third division—had more shots and a better chance of scoring than Real Madrid. Nahuel Arroyo scored in the 80th minute, making everyone nervous, before Mbappé's lucky shot got past Jaime.
"It was a bad bounce, and I couldn't reach it," he said, smiling as he mentioned that Jude Bellingham and Mbappé had apologised to him afterwards.
Talavera kept fighting. With the crowd chanting his name, Gonzalo Di Renzo scored after Isiah Navarro's free kick hit the crossbar. Navarro almost scored again in stoppage time, but Lunin barely saved it, saving Real Madrid from further embarrassment. But Xabi Alonso wasn't worried.
Even though they lost to Manchester City recently, beating Alavés seems to have kept Alonso from being fired as Real Madrid's coach. That 2–1 win wasn't much better than this week's close cup game, but Alonso is only thinking about winning right now.
"The goal was to advance, so I'm happy," he told reporters. These things happen in the Copa; it happened to other teams as well.
They put us under pressure, and Talavera got really into it with their fans behind them. We controlled the first half well and scored, but not making it 0–3 kept the game close.
The second half was tough. We wanted that third goal and had chances, but couldn't score. It was an exciting cup tie. It’s a special competition. We did what we needed to do; now onto the next one.”
It's unclear when Alonso will decide that his goal is to easily beat third-division teams without needing luck. For now, he's focused on beating Sevilla in La Liga on Sunday, no matter how they do it.
THIBAUT COURTOIS CLEARED TO START EL CLáSICO AFTER RECOVERING FROM INJURY
Thibaut Courtois will return for Real Madrid in Sunday's El Clásico, but Ferland Mendy is sidelined for five months with an injury.
Looks like Thibaut Courtois is finally set to make his return for Real Madrid in Sunday’s El Clásico, which would be his first match since March 17. Courtois injured his thigh during the Champions League clash with Manchester City and hasn’t played since. Madrid really missed him; they managed just one clean sheet in eight games while he was out.
Now, with the trip to Camp Nou right around the corner, Courtois is back at just the right time. According to MARCA, he’ll start against Barcelona unless something unexpected happens between now and then. He trained with the squad on Monday and looks ready to reclaim his spot from Andriy Lunin, who’s had a tough couple of months and faced a fair share of criticism. If Courtois starts, he’ll notch his 330th appearance for the club.
But here’s the problem: while Arbeloa gets a major boost in goals, his squad is still missing key players. Arda Güler, Éder Militão, Dani Carvajal, Rodrygo, and maybe even Kylian Mbappé remain sidelined, so Madrid are still far from full strength for this crucial match on May 10.
Ferland Mendy joins the injury list too after picking up a muscle issue in the 2–0 win over Espanyol. He only lasted 14 minutes before coming off, and further tests showed a hamstring injury bad enough that ESPN says he could be out for up to five months, possibly needing surgery.
That one really hurts since Mendy had played so well lately, especially against Savinho and Michael Olise in the Champions League. To make things even more complicated, Álvaro Carreras seems to have dropped down Arbeloa’s pecking order, so Fran García is expected to fill in at left back on Sunday.
Now, about the title race. Barcelona sit 11 points clear at the top, so the La Liga title is basically theirs. Madrid already swallowed the bitter pill of losing out to their biggest rivals for a second straight season, but two things could still make this sting even more. First, they dodged the humiliation of being forced to give Barcelona a guard of honour at the Camp Nou. Madrid’s win over Espanyol last weekend stopped that from happening.
But here’s what Madrid really wants to avoid: Barcelona celebrating the title in front of them on Sunday. The math is simple: if Barça earn even a draw, they clinch the league. The only way Madrid can delay the inevitable is by taking all three points and spoiling the party at least for another week.
WHY DID REAL MADRID CHOOSE TO KEEP ENDRICK DESPITE MASSIVE PREMIER LEAGUE INTEREST?
After a stellar loan at Lyon, Endrick will return to Real Madrid this summer alongside Jacobo Ramón to form a new youth core.
Real Madrid has zero plans to let Endrick leave this summer. That’s what we’re hearing, even with Arsenal and Chelsea knocking on their door. We’ve also got some updates on Jacobo Ramon’s future.
Endrick is finishing his loan at Lyon on a high note. He’s put up seven goals and seven assists in just 18 games, and people are excited about what he could do long-term.
The 19-year-old forward from Brazil wanted more game time after struggling for chances with Xabi Alonso in charge at Madrid, so he pushed for a loan. Now, with Alonso gone, Endrick’s focused on forcing his way into Brazil’s World Cup squad, and honestly, the way he’s been playing lately, he’s making a strong argument.
Big clubs are paying attention. Arsenal and Chelsea have both checked in recently to see if Madrid would be open to a deal for him this summer.
But Madrid’s answer? No chance. They’ve told both clubs straight up: Endrick’s coming back to the Bernabéu, and he’s in their first-team plans for next season.
Endrick’s on board with that, too. He wants to stay and fight for a spot, a real chance to prove himself as a regular in Madrid’s lineup.
Florentino Perez backs him all the way; he still believes Endrick is the best young talent out there. The club isn’t about to change its mind.
Endrick’s not the only Madrid youth getting attention from the Premier League. Arsenal and Chelsea have also been checking in about Jacobo Ramon, the young centre-back playing for Como in Italy right now.
Ramon’s been playing alongside Nico Paz under Cesc Fabregas and has done well. Even though he moved from Madrid to Como last summer, Madrid made sure to keep buy-back and sell-on clauses, so it’s almost like he’s still a Madrid player on loan.
Now, the plan is for Ramon to return to Madrid this summer with Endrick and Paz. The club’s looking to keep its young core together and build the future around them.
Lots of clubs are watching Ramon; more than six want to sign him. But honestly, Madrid’s stance is pretty clear: just like with Endrick, they aren’t budging.
So for Arsenal, Chelsea, and anyone else hoping to swoop in, the message is simple. Madrid is keeping their best young talents. They’re not letting them go.
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