Xabi Alonso's apologies to Rodrygo, both victims of the Vinícius-Mbappé duo

"Rodrygo is an incredible player and we will need him," said Xabi Alonso as soon as he arrived at the Real Madrid dugout. "I'm not going to discover what a player he is," added the Real Madrid coach. However, at the Club World Cup, Xabi only featured the Brazilian for 93 minutes . He started against Al-Hilal , a game in which he made his mark by providing an assist, but then only played briefly against Salzburg and Dortmund , and not at all against Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain .

Thus, Real Madrid's new manager has quickly realized how complicated it is to coach a team influenced by factors that have nothing to do with the game itself, but rather the money involved. For example, managing the situation of a player like Vinícius, who doesn't want to renew unless he's the highest-paid player and has a signing bonus. The problem is that there are no offers for him, and his intention is to run out of a contract that expires in 2027 and leave as a free agent.

As much as Vini refuses to understand it, the player who lends his name to Florentino Pérez 's latest project isn't his own, but Kylian Mbappé's . The Frenchman, who has adopted Modric's number 10 but wants to play as a number 9 to be closer to the goal, isn't willing to put in the effort and do what the Brazilian refuses to do.

It's clear that this situation is taking its toll on Real Madrid's collective play, with two fewer men defending and the wear and tear on the rest of the players caused by the estimated 13 kilometers they lose on average between them in a match. However, the one who is feeling the pinch is Rodrygo Goes. Hence, Xabi Alonso went so far as to apologize for relegating him to an ostracism that neither deserves nor benefits his team.

Four defeats with a 4-4-2 without Rodrygo

Despite the club constantly filtering offers for Goes to see if they're lucky and can cash in, the Brazilian has no interest in leaving, and neither does his coach. As is often said these days, data kills the narrative, and the numbers support this player who has less press than Vini, but performs better on the pitch, as well as being exemplary off it.

Last season, Real Madrid lost all four of Carlo Ancelotti's 4-4-2 games, which didn't include Rodrygo . These were 1-0 at Lille, 0-4 against FC Barcelona, 2-0 at Liverpool, and 1-3 against AC Milan. In the latter match, Rodrygo came on for Bellingham in the 74th minute, with the final score still on the scoreboard. No comments needed.

In contrast, Real Madrid not only won the four consecutive matches in which Vinícius did not play, but also scored a total of 14 goals . Namely, the one against Sevilla on December 22 at the Bernabéu , which Vini missed after receiving a red card in Vallecas, so when it was played he was already in Brazil enjoying his Christmas break. The result was 4-2, with a goal and an assist from Rodrygo to Mbappé , and the same numbers for the Frenchman.

The next one was on January 19th of this year, in a 4-1 win against UD Las Palmas , again with a goal and an assist from Rodrygo and two goals from Mbappé, where both the first and second goals came from the Brazilian for a penalty he was awarded and a new assist. The third was on January 25th in Zorrilla, where Real Madrid won 0-3 against Valladolid , with an assist from Goes and a hat-trick from Mbappé.

Four wins in the absence of Vinícius

And the fourth consecutive match without Vinícius was played four days later, on January 29th, back in the Champions League group stage, at Brest , where the Whites won again, by the same score as in Pucela. A 3-0, with two more goals from Rodrygo, who thus added 4, plus 3 assists, in the four opportunities he had to play in a line-up more tailored to what he can contribute.

But not only did Rodrygo perform at his peak, but, as sources close to the Real Madrid dressing room comment, "no, it's no coincidence that those months of December and January saw Mbappé happier, both sportingly and personally speaking."

If the arrival of Franco Mastantuono adds to the complex relationship between Vinícius and Mpabbé , Rodrygo's situation becomes even more complicated. Xabi Alonso's solution would surely be to play the Brazilian on the left, instead of his compatriot, the Argentine on the right, and the Frenchman in the center . Although, as we mentioned at the beginning, this is the problem with coaching a team where business criteria prevail rather than football ones.