1. When Aleix Febas, a midfielder who came through Real Madrid 's La Fabrica academy, scored to reward his excellent performance, Vinicius Junior jumped up from the bench, pulling on his shirt as quickly as a fireman.

Vinicius did not start due to Xabi Alonso's decision to change the system with 3 center-backs.

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Febas opened the scoring for Elche. Photo: EFE

Vini's arrival increased the tempo of attack, but it wasn't enough for Real Madrid to win against the better Elche, who were helped by a goal from another La Fabrica graduate: Alvaro Rodriguez.

The 21-year-old striker, who was given his La Liga debut by Carlo Ancelotti, transformed into a combination of Vinicius and Kylian Mbappe in the best move of his career.

Dean Huijsen and Jude Bellingham equalised in chaotic play in front of goal, but could not bring any reassurance to Real Madrid, who have gone three games without a win – two of them in La Liga, the other against a struggling Liverpool in the Champions League.

Real Madrid still hold the top spot, but the gap with Barcelona is only 1 point. A bad sign for Xabi Alonso .

2. This was a game of young coaches who liked to intervene deeply and play a central role, but were eventually caught up in the chaos in the final minutes.

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Alvaro scored a great goal against his old team. Photo: Diario AS

It was a disjointed, open game, just the way Real Madrid like it, but it didn't have the ending they wanted. From start to finish, they were outclassed.

Xabi Alonso came to Madrid to do his thesis after his stellar work at Bayer Leverkusen. But it wasn't easy.

On the opposite side, Eder Sarabia – who was once looked down upon by Leo Messi in the match against Celta Vigo in 2020, when he was an assistant to Quique Setien at Barca – wants to turn Elche into a “miniature Leverkusen”, exploding and burning himself out on the field.

His team has started very well. If they lack points, they make up for it with spirit and enthusiasm. Elche are a small team, but they choose to take risks like the big teams and have paid off in their return to La Liga.

Both coaches deployed a three-man central defender system at Martinez Valero, a choice that sent the message of wanting to keep the ball and dominate the game.

For Sarabia, this is a regular thing. For Xabi Alonso, it is a characteristic mindset, but he has hardly used it at Real Madrid, in contrast to what he did at Leverkusen.

Perhaps after the comprehensive defeat to Liverpool and the disappointing draw with Rayo Vallecano, Xabi thought this was the right time for a change. But he was wrong.

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Vinicius brought positivity when entering the field, Bellingham rescued Real Madrid. Photo: Diario AS

However, his biggest decision was not in the tactical system, but in the choice of people: Vinicius was on the bench, making way for Rodrygo.

3. With Huijsen, Asensio and Carreras forming a back three, Xabi Alonso left the two wings to Trent Alexander-Arnold and Fran Garcia.

Both wingers have strong attacking tendencies, but limited defensive abilities, especially Trent, who has been described as having “two faces”.

Elche exploited this very well, constantly pressing and forcing "long-legged Courtois" to show his talent to stop Rafa Mir and then Andre Silva.

That wasn't all the home side's danger, as several other chances were missed due to poor finishing decisions, before the opening goal came from a perfect combination between German Valera (a stunning backheel) and Febas.

Another common point between the two teams is the high pressure on the opponent's field. On Elche's side, goalkeeper Inaki Pena - a former Barca player - pushed very high, almost becoming a playmaker to create an advantage.

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Mbappe has not scored in his last three matches with Madrid. Photo: Diario AS

On Real Madrid’s side, they pressed man-to-man. Both options were potentially risky, leading to chaotic transitions: chaos in the Elche penalty area and many mistakes on the “Los Blancos” side.

Real Madrid suffered more and would have been in even more trouble if it weren't for Asensio's tackles, even though he was "spinned" by Alvaro Rodriguez in the 2-1 match (the first time in history that two former Real B players scored against their former team in La Liga).

Mbappe took a long time to connect with the game in a Real Madrid lacking attacking depth. When he did get into the rhythm, he encountered Inaki Pena transforming into Courtois.

Real Madrid are sluggish and lifeless, going 3 games without a win for the first time since Alonso's arrival. Mbappe failed to score in all 3 games.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/real-madrid-hoa-may-elche-2-2-alonso-mbappe-cung-xuong-mat-dat-2465749.html