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The Real Madrid vs Manchester City rivalry was great while it lasted, but Kylian Mbappe is back and Pep Guardiola’s side are done.
“He’s like a mini-Rodri,” Pep Guardiola said after Nico Gonzalez’s commanding performance in the 4-0 win over Newcastle, in which he became the first Manchester City player to attempt 100 or more passes, complete a 95 per cent pass accuracy, and complete ten or more passes into the final third since Rodri at the end of last season.
Guardiola did also caution that Gonzalez is “far away in some things” compared to Rodri, and those things were very apparent at the Bernabeu.
Moments after allowing Jude Bellingham a one-on-one pop at the criminally isolated Abdukodir Khusanov on the left by barely jogging to keep up with the Real Madrid star, he flicked a bouncing ball to no-one under no pressure in midfield. He couldn’t have looked less like the man whose absence he’s supposed to be mitigating.
Poor Khusanov. He was playing in the Belarusian first division 18 months ago and was left to fend for himself against Vincius Junior, arguably the best dribbler in world football, and often Kylian Mbappe, the other guy vying for that crown, who smelled blood and drifted towards the side in which he’s made fools of the very best in the past to have his way with the 20-year-old. It felt almost cruel at times.
Inexperience is a handy caveat for him, and Gonzalez to a lesser extent, but Ruben Dias has no such excuse after losing the flight of the ball in the fourth minute to gift Madrid and Mbappe the opener.
He might blame the lack of pressure on Raul Asencio as the young defender looked up and pumped a ball long, the high line which granted the famously rapid Mbappe an absurd amount of space to run into, or a lack of match sharpness in a season beset by injuries.
But Dias was once among the very best defenders in world football, and at no point this season has he proven himself worthy of the widespread opinion that he’s been as big a miss as Rodri when he’s been out of the team.
It was a fine finish from Mbappe that he would likely have fluffed in an early-season bedding-in period at Madrid.
His 25th of the season was followed later in the half by his 26th, as Madrid eased through City’s midfield, with the also brilliant Rodrygo finding Mbappe through Khusanov’s legs before the striker sent Josko Gvardiol for what the kids call a hotdog before sweeping the ball into the side-netting.
