Managing Madrid Podcast: Ballin in Balaídos and Solari’s million dolla spot

Hosts Gabe Lezra, Om Arvind and Emilee Woods break down Real Madrid’s impressive 2-4 victory over Celta Vigo in Balaídos--a ground they’ve traditionally struggled with. There’s a fair amount to say about this match but, let’s be real, this was a game where Celta decided to emulate Simeone’s Atleti and literally injure as many people as possible.

Oh, and Barcelona lost. And Madrid won. Is this real life?

Some topics discussed:

• What is “black magic” in this new sense? And is this really a fair characterization of Solari’s tenure so far?
• How Big is Benz? And is this the new normal for him? (I think you can guess where we were on this).
• Alright, let’s talk about injuries. Nacho’s injury is huge. He’s a modern defensive back, playing multiple positions--the duct tape, if you will. Casemiro’s only out for a bit, so that’s good. And Regilión, who was huge in this match, will also be out--where does that leave us?
• Some high points from the match: Benzema. Benzema. Benzema.
• And Modric--is he back? And he’s a hugely important cog in this machine, so an in-form Modric could be a massive upgrade.
• Solari’s decision to play Odriozola and Reguilión instead of Nacho and others out of position.
• Madrid held Celta to around 1 xG in Balaídos--a great result. Is this Solari’s doing?
• How much of today’s result can be attributed to the grit the teams had on display?
• Madrid’s targets in the Superclásico--Palacios and more.

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Hosts this week:

Emilee Woods (@Emjwoods)

Gabe Lezra (@ElEzrah)

Om Arvind (@OmVArvind)