Real Madrid abuse passing more than Barcelona under Pep

Although Real Madrid won all 2 matches and kept a clean sheet under Xabi Alonso, El Mundo Deportivo still criticized the team for playing too slowly and overusing passes.

Alonso was criticized for forcing Real Madrid to play too perfectionist.

What would have happened to Xabi Alonso if Madrid had not had Kylian Mbappe? First of all, he would not have had 6 points from the opening 2 La Liga matches.

To be frank, Real Madrid were not really attractive. Against a newly promoted team, they spent the whole second half as if they were having a conversation with a psychologist. The result was therapeutic, with Real Madrid taking maximum points but not really satisfying for the viewers.

According to journalist Julian Ruiz, viewers have witnessed a Real Madrid under Carlo Ancelotti that had no tactics and no team spirit, to a team that has become too cold and too precise. To the point that it is sometimes boring, but in return, they keep a clean sheet - a vital thing to win.

Of course, Xabi Alonso is just getting started. But his main idea is not attacking. Real Madrid are frustratingly possessive, with too much of the ball, while the tempo of play is slower than it was under Ancelotti.

Perhaps the Madrid press has over-hyped Dean Huijsen. Yes, he has great control and carries the ball forward, but he doesn’t accelerate and takes too long to do anything. And then everything stops, everything becomes sluggish like a slow-motion film.

As Franz Beckenbauer once said of Pep Guardiola's passing game, it seems they want to get the ball straight to the goal line. And Xabi does the same thing.

Possession is good, but it needs a bit of surprise, a moment of explosion. The only one who understands this is Mbappe; for the rest of Madrid, it's all about passes.

Source: https://znews.vn/real-madrid-lam-dung-chuyen-bong-con-hon-barcelona-thoi-pep-post1579717.html