Real Madrid were left dropping more points as they were held to a 1-1 draw with Real Betis courtesy of a last-gasp equaliser from Héctor Bellerín. It cancelled out a first-half goal from Vinícius Júnior and means that Barcelona could extend their lead at the top to 11 points if they beat Getafe on Saturday.
Three answers
1. How many players would turn their focus to the World Cup?
With Real Madrid’s season effectively over and Los Blancos now only waiting for it to be mathematically certain that they can’t catch Barcelona at the top of the La Liga table, several players could be forgiven for turning their attentions to the task at hand this summer with the World Cup on the horizon. Given that there has only been a very short rest period between last season, the Club World Cup, and this season, many players are crying out for a rest. With Arda Güler ruled out for the rest of the season and Aurélien Tchouameni absent with a strain, this may be the first sign of players who aren’t willing to take the same risks that they might do for decisive knock-out fixtures or in a neck-and-neck title race. Equally, for others, there’s a point to prove. At right-back, for example, both Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dani Carvajal have work to do to impress Thomas Tuchel and Luis de la Fuente. Time is running out for some players to make sure they are on the plane to the United States, Mexico and Canada, and that means playing it safe for some, and proving a point for others.
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2. How long would this terrible defensive record continue?
Coming into this game having conceded in the last eight consecutive matches, it was the longest streak of matches without any clean sheets since 2004. That 22-year period had not seen the team go eight games, and the concern was clearly the risk of extending it to nine games, and potentially matching the 2004 run of 10 games under Carlos Quieroz. For so long it looked as though Real Madrid would produce the first clean sheet since March 11th against Manchester City. It was not for want of trying from Real Betis, who registered 19 shots, making it five consecutive games to concede a double-digit number of attempts, and only found the breakthrough with the last of them all. That result means that Real Madrid need Barcelona to concede at least once to maintain their record of best overall defence in La Liga, with 31 goals conceded in 33 games now, compared to Barcelona’s 30 in 32.
3. Would youth players get more of a look in?
The most intriguing moment of Álvaro Arbeloa’s pre-match press conference related to the topic of young players. Asked if he’d been told not to involve so many after none of his regular youngsters featured against Alavés, a dejected Arbeloa said more with his face and a moment of silence before answering than he did with his words. In Seville, he went back to his principles, primarily by recalling Thiago Pitarch in midfield but also by bringing the likes of Jorge Cestero and Manuel Ángel to the bench. Ángel was a late substitute and Gonzalo García even got minutes, only his second appearance in the last seven matches, as Arbeloa appeared to be sharing the game time late on with David Alaba also getting his share. If Arbeloa is going to lose his job, he’s made it clear that he’ll be doing it on his own terms.
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Three questions
1. Was a draw a fair result?
Many Madridistas will feel aggrieved by refereeing decisions which went against Real Madrid at La Cartuja on Friday night. Ricardo Rodríguez’s handling of the ball in the box was what seemed to be a strong penalty shout, and Antony’s decision to pull back Ferland Mendy in the build up to Betis’ equaliser would lead to a foul more often than not. But César Soto Grado opted not to give either decision in Real Madrid’s favour. Equally, he could’ve awarded a penalty against Real Madrid for a Brahim Díaz handball at 0-0. But regardless of refereeing decisions, Real Madrid had the chances and the dominance of the game to put this result to bed before any refereeing decisions came into play. Álvaro Vallés made seven saves in goal for Betis, but Real Madrid, and in particular Kylian Mbappé, should’ve done better with the chances that fell their way.
2. Will Dani Carvajal stand a chance of making Spain’s World Cup squad?
Where Álvaro Arbeloa sought to fan the flames of speculation in his press conference before this fixture, insisting that he had no problem with Carvajal and that he would get game time, his actions spoke louder than words. The captain, who many expected to rotate in to rest Trent Alexander-Arnold, was benched and did not make it onto the field of play. Out of the latest Spain squad, it seems highly unlikely that Luis de la Fuente would call up a 34 year old who has played 90 minutes on only three occasions this season. His illustrious Real Madrid career appears to be coming to an end, but it does not seem that there will be a fairy tale ending for either club or country.
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3. Was this Andriy Lunin’s best performance of the season?
If one man emerged with any credit from Seville, it was Real Madrid’s second-choice goalkeeper. He hasn’t found his best form since replacing the injured Thibaut Courtois, who is edging closer to a return, but this was close to it. He made only three saves, but all three were impressive. The stop to deny Antony on the stroke of half-time, a shot ranked with 0.48 xGoT, was the pick of the bunch. The Ukrainian, more than anyone else, will be left feeling frustrated by the late equaliser which he could do little about.
