Real Madrid lost again in Mallorca, Carlo Ancelotti even feared defeat. And: The private feud between Vinicius Junior and Pablo Maffeo continued
Mallorca may be worth a visit for many, but that is less true for Real Madrid. In the 2022/23 season, the Whites lost 1-0 at Son Moix, while last season they struggled to a 1-0 victory. This time there was a draw, and Ancelotti’s team were well served with it
The Italian himself felt the same way. “We didn’t find our balance in the second half. We could have lost because we weren’t balanced at the back. It wasn’t a good game,” said Ancelotti self-critically. “I don’t want to apologize for anything, but we simply have to do better and with a better attitude.”
Ancelotti addressed the lack of balance several times. In fact, there was a lot wrong in terms of coordination both between and within the different parts of the team. “The defensive work was not good. We struggled to win the ball and press after losing possession. When we talk about the defense, we mean the collective commitment,” said Ancelotti.
And offensively? Kylian Mbappé did not come into his own as desired in the center of the attack and therefore repeatedly switched to the left flank, where Vinicius Junior was now running circles around him. In one scene in the second half, the two were not just literally on each other’s feet on the left. “They switch positions from time to time,” said Ancelotti. “Sometimes Mbappé plays more centrally and sometimes one of the two has to occupy the side without there being a specific plan. It depends on how they feel about it.”
How Vinicius felt was pretty obvious. The Brazilian has long been persona non grata on Mallorca and was once again booed every time he touched the ball on Sunday. In addition, he has an opponent in Pablo Maffeo who could hardly be more unpleasant. The ex-Stuttgarter fights Vinicius with all means at his disposal, constant provocations and rude fouls in duels have long since ceased to surprise anyone. Especially as Vinicius repeatedly shows the desired reaction and gets into fights with the crowd and opponents
Maffeo’s idiosyncratic explanation for the calf kick
This time, too, there was a scene that caused a stir. Maffeo kicked Vinicius in the calf from behind with his studs shortly before the break, but not with full force. The right-back got away with a yellow card. “I wanted to step on the ball, he stretched out his leg without seeing me and I stepped on him,” said Maffeo, whose interpretation required a bit of imagination after studying the slow motion.
However, the Mallorca player apparently also tried to smooth things over afterwards. “I picked him up during the drink break and told him: Hey, let’s cut the crap. What happened, happened, and he said everything was fine. In the end, it’s a bad image that has stuck to me and I don’t like it either,” explained Maffeo.
However, the fact that he has flirted with his image in the past is also part of the truth. During the 2023 triumph, he called on his then coach Javier Aguirre to replace him shortly before the end after he had thrown down a gauntlet to Vinicius. He wanted to get a special round of applause from the fans.
Although Vinicius set up Rodrygo’s 1-0, it was clear that the negative sentiment against him was affecting his performance. On several occasions, he went into unnecessary and unsuccessful dribbles, as if the 24-year-old was trying to put his head through the wall. The many ball losses were also a reason why Real once again lost ground at Son Moix
