Real Sociedad 3-1 Real Madrid, 2019 La Liga: Immediate Reaction

Real Madrid completed yet another poor performance and while it’s clear that having nothing to play for doesn’t help the players, it’s slowly becoming an old excuse Zidane should no longer accept and embrace.

• Courtois didn’t have a good night. He managed to save a penalty when the game was still 1-1, but the Belgian keeper is running out of confidence and he could’ve done better in two of Real Sociedad’s goals. Reports suggest that he is going to be Madrid’s goalkeeper next season but Zidane might be reconsidering his options right now.
• Vallejo made a terrible mistake and it cost the team. Real Sociedad was going to earn the lead but the defender decided to save it with his right hand, being sent off right away and leaving Madrid down to 10 men with 50 minutes to play. Vallejo had been a bright spot for Los Blancos recently.
• Asensio with another worrying performance. He was invisible and just didn’t produce. Everyone knows how his potential is huge, so his lack of competitive fire and willingness to make an impact is definitely a problem. Zidane will surely hope that he just doesn’t have the confidence needed, because otherwise the attacker might never reach his potential.
• Brahim was clearly the best player for Real Madrid. Not only he scored his first goal for the team, he also tried and went for it time and time again, proving that he might be a valuable asset next season if Madrid decide to keep him. Right now, he should be ahead of Isco, Asensio and Lucas Vazquez in the rotation.
• Speaking of which, Vazquez got more minutes than Vinicius Junior today. The Brazilian attacker spent quite some time off and might lack the conditioning needed to start but should’ve come off the bench ahead of Vazquez when Madrid still had a chance in this game.
• All things considered, one has to think that Zidane will be ready to make some tough decisions this summer. These players won him a historic three-peat in the Champions League but they just don’t have it —or don’t want it— anymore. A few changes and upgrades won’t cut it. It’s time to rebuild this team.