Well-known Real Madrid fan and industry insider José Ramón de la Morena Roncero discussed Real Madrid’s Copa del Rey match against Talavera in his column.
Roncero wrote:
"That Talavera scare—I warned about it yesterday. I know this script all too well, and I’ve suffered through it many times. Even when we were leading 2-0, I said on my show that I didn’t feel the slightest bit reassured. If you take things lightly and play Russian roulette, the Copa del Rey will always leave you with a bad taste in your mouth.
Real Madrid’s indifference and lack of aggression in duels gave Talavera the courage to dream. They almost pulled off a heroic winner to force extra time right at the death of this nightmare, and it was Andriy Pyatov who saved Xabi Alonso from having to pack his bags immediately. This is unacceptable. To see an almost full-strength team end up begging for mercy from a side sitting second from bottom in Group 1 of the Segunda Federación is truly humiliating for me.
Before the game, as soon as my friends saw the starting lineup, they asked me: ‘Why start Kylian Mbappé against such a weak opponent, especially when we know he’s just recovered from injury?’
The first reason is obvious: Mbappé is chasing the calendar-year goals record, which is held by Cristiano Ronaldo with 59 goals. Before this match, Mbappé had 56 goals to his name. He needed to find the net to close in on the record ahead of our game against Sevilla this weekend. Thanks to his brace, he achieved his target, moving up to 58 goals—just one behind Ronaldo, and two away from breaking the record.
But there was another reason for Mbappé’s inclusion: to ensure qualification. Every time Mbappé is absent, Real Madrid struggles and scores very few goals. It’s hard to accept, but it’s the truth. Mbappé’s goals rescued Alonso from an embarrassing upset, while Pyatov’s late wonder save stopped the scare—it was far too close for comfort…
Before we get too carried away and make decisions we might regret later, let’s think: this weekend, Alonso’s disjointed side will beat Sevilla and head into the Christmas break still in contention for four trophies. But after that, we have to sit down and reflect. We cannot get used to suffering like this. Real Madrid must raise their level of football and win with dominance."
