Real Madrid romped home to a 5-0 win in the Copa del Rey over Deportiva Minera to secure qualification for the last 16 of the tournament. Hosted at the Estadio Municipal Cartagonova, Fede Valverde opened the scoring early on with a volley before an Eduardo Camavinga header only minutes later. Arda Güler chipped in with a brace, and Luka Modrić also got in on the act with a goal himself.
Three answers
1. How much would Carlo Ancelotti rotate?
The fixtures are coming thick and fast with three games in less than a week to mark the return to action after the winter break, rotation was a real necessity for Carlo Ancelotti. In total, he made 10 changes to the side who featured against Valencia with Fede Valverde the only man to continue in the line-up. He continues to be the only player to have started every game this season, though he was taken off to rest at half-time, making it only the fifth time in 27 games that he hasn’t gone the full 90. You’d have to go back to May 2024 and a dead rubber win over Granada for the last time Valverde was rested and didn’t start a game. Elsewhere, youngsters were given minutes in defence with a full back four from La Fábrica (more on that below), and reserve options like Brahim Díaz, Arda Güler, Andriy Lunin and Endrick Felipe were allowed rare starts.
2. Who would stand out from the rotations?
This was the first time in over eight years that Real Madrid managed more than 20 shots on target in a single game, and so it’s logical that many of those to stand out would be offensive players. Perhaps more than any other, that would be Arda Güler. The Turkish 19-year-old got two goals, which were expertly taken and came from good movement and positioning, but also created more chances than any player with five created. He was crucial to build-up play, with three completed dribbles and eight passes into the final third, but also strong defensively, recovering possession seven times, winning eight duels and winning both of his two tackles. Since disappointing at Anfield in November, he’s started only three games including this one, and scored three goals and registered two assists in those three appearances.
3. How would a young defence get on?
25-year-old Fran García was the veteran in defence as he was joined by Raúl Asencio and debutants Diego Aguado and Lorenzo Aguado. In truth, the youngsters could not have hoped for a calmer evening as Deportiva Minera managed only one shot on target and only one touch in the Real Madrid box all evening, with only 16 passes completed in the Real Madrid defensive third. Even so, the back line performed well and looked comfortable. On the right, Lorenzo Aguado didn’t misplace a single pass had a chance to score himself and won four duels defensively. Diego Aguado and Raúl Asencio also looked composed when tested, and Fran García claimed two assists with impressive crosses into the box from the left flank for Camavinga and Güler to score from.
Three questions
1. Is this the year for Copa del Rey success?
This was Real Madrid’s biggest win in the Copa del Rey since 2018, when a certain Vinícius Júnior made his first start for the club under Santiago Solari in a 6-1 demolition of Melilla at the Bernabéu in the previous, two-legged format. This year, six sides from Primera have already been eliminated, and at least four sides from the lower leagues will be in the draw for the next round. They will be seeded to face Primera sides in that draw, which won’t have a final selection until after Eldense play Valencia on Tuesday, but that leaves a one in four chance that Real Madrid could be drawn away to a lower league team in the next round. Win that, and Real Madrid are in the quarter-final without breaking into a sweat.
2. Why wasn’t Gonzalo García given a chance?
Carlo Ancelotti is not known for being generous with minutes to young players, but Monday night was arguably one of his most baffling decisions yet. Leading 4-0, he opted to bring on both Vinícius Júnior and Kylian Mbappé, who also played against Valencia on Friday and with the Supercopa coming up on Thursday. On the bench, 20-year-old Gonzalo García, who has 14 goals in 17 games for Castilla this season as a wide forward, must have been wondering why he wasn’t chosen. Having recently handled a tight muscle injury, he’s fully fit and was hoping to add to his 17 minutes of first team action in cameos against Cádiz and Granada last season, after being left on the bench against Liverpool and Athletic earlier this year.
3. How can Endrick’s performance be evaluated?
This was Endrick’s first start since the 1-0 defeat to Lille in the Champions League in October, and only his second since joining the club. As such, a lot of eyes were on the Brazilian teenager. He had the first big chance of the game, on only three minutes, but his shot was straight at goalkeeper Fran Martínez and he handled it well. It was one of four so-called big chances to fall Endrick’s way. The clearest indication that his finishing wasn’t quite on cue was the xG compared to the xGoT. This comparison helps to differentiate between the chance of scoring from a chance, to the chance of Endrick’s shot hitting the back of the net. His total xG for the night was 0.88, but his xGoT was slightly lower at 0.86. As such, his finishing did not build upon the quality of any of the chances provided to him. For comparison, Arda Güler’s xG was 0.81, but his xGoT was 1.80. That’s not to say that he didn’t play well, he registered more dribbles than anyone else with five and created four other big chances for others, with an expected assists score of 0.67.
