Los Blancos lost a match for the first time since September, but their quest for Curitiba's record remains intact as this was a friendly game.
4 takeaways from the 2-4 defeat
- Jesé is ready to get into real action - Our wonderkid formed Real Madrid's attacking trio together with Cristiano Ronaldo and Chicharito Hernández and proved that he is fully recovered and ready to fight for a spot in the starting lineup. His speed and stamina seem to be at the same level they were last season, and he never avoided contact with Milan's defenders, which shows his confidence is back as well. His assist to Ronaldo is a great example of what an upgrade he can be for this team coming from the bench in complicated games.
- Khedira can be important for this team - And Carlo Ancelotti is the right man to get the best from him, just as he did with Di María last January. With Modric's absence, we lose the one man who can break the rival's midfield lines just by himself. In a completely different fashion, Khedira's vertical runs without the ball can provide this feature to Real Madrid's lineup, in addition to increasing the lineup's muscular power. Don't be surprised if Sami shows up to face Atlético de Madrid in our next Copa del Rey fixture.
- Cristiano Ronaldo finished his negative streak - Although he was awarded the Club World Cup's Silver Ball, Ronaldo's performance in that tournament did not match his standards and he was not able to score a single goal in 180 minutes. Last evening, he delighted Real Madrid fans in Dubai with his wide repertoire of tricks and scored our first goal. He is, for sure, motivated to start the year showing everyone he deserves the Ballon D'Or he will likely receive on January 12th.
- It was just a friendly game - And playing it seemed the right thing to do, in order to get our players ready for a hellish January. As Lucas pointed out in his recap, our players learned last night that any team can beat us if we don't take them seriously, and this may set the right mental tone for the upcoming games. In the end of the day, Real Madrid earned close to €4 million and got back home with no injuries, so it seemed a great deal overall.