Real Madrid's final preparations continue ahead of the official start of the 21/22 season. Ancelotti's men were held to a goalless draw as Alaba made his debut against Milan in a match that didn’t reveal the full power of the teams.
The match against Milan marks the final match of the pre-season for Real Madrid. It was an important test to see where the team is in terms of physical preparation and not only. The general result, not only the score, was not what everyone desires but was neither bad. Real Madrid showed that the team has a good communication even why there were many key players missing. Alaba and Bale, who had the most the eyes and curiosity of the fans on them had a good match but they can certainly do better. Six Castilla players were still called up to the bench with other senior players such as Karim Benzema yet to return. Martin Ødegaard, who has seen his name tossed around the rumour mill recently, found himself on the bench at the start.
Despite ending goalless, the first half was a fast-paced affair. The game was played at a very high intensity with a string of threatening moves. However, the match was somehow chaotic and the teams made many mistakes. They often couldn’t complete more than a few passes without losing the ball. That brought many fouls and also a lot of physical duels. Milan had the first chance after just three minutes, Theo feigned to cross and caught out Courtois, but his shot came back off the woodwork.
Midway through the opening 45 minutes, Real Madrid slowly began to pin their opponents back and created some good chances. Rodrygo stole the ball in the opposition half and played in Isco, who shot into the side netting with 28 gone. Alaba tried his luck four minutes later with a well-struck shot from the edge of the area, but Maignan turned it behind for a corner. The goalkeeper had to be at his best with 35 minutes on the clock, keeping out a long-range effort from Bale, who was involved again five minutes later. Jović played him in and the Welshman was brought down inside the box by Calabria as he closed in on the Italian goalkeeper. Bale stepped up to take the penalty but Maignan made an inspired save to keep the score level.
The second half brought much change, with six substitutes entering the action. The intensity of the game seemed to depart alongside the players that were switched out. Lunin, Mariano, Blanco, Militão, Vini Jr, and Miguel came on for Courtois, Jović, Casemiro, Alaba, Bale and Marcelo. The first chance of the second period fell to our team as Modrić rattled the crossbar with a long-range effort in the 52nd minute. The opposition responded thirteen minutes later when Brahim shot from distance, but Lunin made a fine save to keep him out. The young Castilla players introduced played with passion and insisted to prove to Ancelotti that they can bring great value to the team. There were some great spells in possession by all of those youngsters who were involved. The tempo dropped going in to the final stages, although there was time for one last chance for Ancelotti's men as Arribas' volley from the edge of the area just missed the target. But that slow tempo was outplayed by numerous pitch invaders who provided some bit of fun keeping the public entertained...!
In general the teams seemed to have reached a good physical form and they are in good shape for the start of the new season. Of course, Milan has more time since Serie A starts later and they will have more opportunities to optimize the team. Real Madrid is certainly progressing, but one thing to keep in mind is that the team needs to sharpen up in front of goal. This is a point that the coaching staff and the players should work on very hard because the lack of precision in front of the goal can ruin even the best performances and can turn the situation in the opposite direction quicker than it seems!
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