Sometimes, it’s better to be lucky than good. And right now, under Álvaro Arbeloa, Real Madrid is relying heavily on the former.
Performances haven’t been up to the standard expected at the Bernabéu, and recent results—like the frustrating defeat to Getafe—were starting to raise alarms. Celta Vigo on paper was supposed to be a palette cleanser, a chance to regain confidence. Instead, we got 90 minutes of tactical confusion rescued by a 90th-minute prayer from our captain, Fede Valverde.
Here is the immediate reaction to a chaotic 2-1 victory.
Lineup Surprises and the Center-Forward Musical Chairs
Contrary to the build-up reports, Thiago Pitarch was the only Castilla player to retain his spot in the starting XI, with six others waiting on the bench. Brahim Díaz got the nod over Gonzalo García, and Valverde wore the captain’s armband.
The game actually started brightly. Vinícius Júnior missed an early opportunity, but Aurélien Tchouaméni quickly made up for it, unleashing another trademark lightning strike from the edge of the box to put Madrid ahead.
But the joy was short-lived. Celta fought their way right back into it, equalizing through a one-on-one. If not for Thibaut Courtois standing tall and refusing to be beaten again before the break, Madrid could have easily gone into the tunnel trailing.
Tactically, the first half left a lot of fans scratching their heads. The structure was incredibly fluid—perhaps to a fault. As Kiyan Sobhani pointed out during the match, the center-forward role was an absolute revolving door. One minute it was Mendy, then Pitarch, then Arda Güler, then Valverde, and sometimes, absolutely nobody.
VAR Frustrations and a Stroke of Luck
Madrid desperately needed a strong second half to avoid another embarrassment, but the structural confusion persisted. Players were picking up questionable spaces, and the attack looked disjointed.
For the first 30 minutes of the second half, the only real talking points for the visitors were penalty shouts. The frustration in the fanbase hit a boiling point when a second penalty appeal for a handball was waved away by VAR due to a duel in the build-up.
As the clock ticked down, Celta looked dangerous. Iago Aspas nearly broke Madridista hearts when he rattled the post late on. At that point, a winner for Los Blancos felt highly unlikely.
Enter Fede Valverde. In the dying seconds of the match, the captain decided to just try his luck. A heavy deflection completely changed the trajectory of the ball, sending it into the back of the net and saving the day for Madrid.
Final Thoughts
It’s 3 points, and we will absolutely take them to move past the Getafe disaster. But the cracks are still very visible. Arbeloa needs to figure out this attacking structure, because relying on Courtois heroics and deflected buzzer-beaters is not a sustainable formula for winning titles.