ICC 2016: Real Madrid 3-2 Chelsea - 4 takeaways

Reigning European champions Real Madrid bounced back from a sloppy preseason opener against PSG with an improved show in their second game as they beat Chelsea 3-2 in Michigan.

Skipper Marcelo bagged an amazing brace in quick succession whereas Mariano struck a 25-yard pile driver to give Los Blancos a commanding 3-0 lead at the break, but a rejuvenated Eden Hazard netted a double of his own in the dying embers, eclipsing an abject performance by Antonio Conte’s men.

Here are some of the things we learnt from the teeming Ann Arbor.

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#1 Marcelo has taken up the mantle in some style

With usual suspects Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema not featuring, Real Madrid’s captain for the pre-season tour, Marcelo, seems to have truly stepped up in his added responsibility. The Brazilian full-back netted twice in the first half, taking his pre-season tally to three in just 2 games, for another dazzling show in the white of Madrid.

Marcelo triggered the floodgates with a wonderful solo goal albeit aided by a deflection from Oscar, and accentuated his penalty box instincts by pouncing on a slack back pass from Ola Aina to double Real’s lead. He then laid a defense splitting pass to Mariano for a third, adding more gloss to a really stunning individual performance.

An unsung hero in the shroud of Ronaldo and Bale, Marcelo proved how dangerous he can be while stepping into the breach.

#2 Defeat shows the importance of Kante to Chelsea

All three goals that the Blues conceded in the first half was the result of some naivety at the back. With Aina committing a string of errors at the back, Marcelo ran rings around Chelsea. The experienced players, the likes of Gary Cahill and Nemanja Matic too were uncharacteristically poor at the back, leaving behind acres of space and also failing to cover up for Aina’s mistakes.

It’s the situations like these that indicate how important N’Golo Kante can be to Chelsea for the upcoming season. The Frenchman has a knack of closing down the channels that arise through positional unawareness and Chelsea desperately lack such kind of a player right now.

Antonio Conte has a massive rebuilding business at his hands, and today’s defeat was a mere reflection. The introduction of Kante, who started training with the team this week, can be a panacea to the defensive woes that exist within the team, however.

#3 Mariano justifies his place in the team

Real Madrid youth product Mariano Diaz announced himself on the stage with a screamer of a goal in the first half, repaying the faith that manager Zinedine Zidane entrusted on him.

With several first team regulars missing from the tour, the Frenchman turned towards the academy players and got espied by the precocious talent of Mariano. The 22-year old youngster has struck 30 times in 40 appearances for the B-team, which was convincing enough for Zizou to get him aboard and he did not disappoint.

Collecting a sublime lay-off from Marcelo, Mariano struck a thunderbolt down the centre for Madrid’s third of the game, highlighting his attacking pedigree. While on any other day, the Blancos strike department is packed to the rafters with superstars, Mariano can be an effective back-up option.

#4 Hazard on the road of redemption

Amidst the pandemonium in West London last term, Eden Hazard was one of the most disappointing Chelsea players. The PFA Player of the Year for 2015 was way below his best, but showed glimpses of his potential towards the fag end of the campaign.

He enlightened the Euros with a stellar show in an otherwise average Belgium side, and now, back at Chelsea, has to make restitution for his besmirched reputation.

From the moment he was introduced in the game, Hazard brought a sense of potency in the attack and his vigilance and clever movements came to fruition when he opportunistically pounced on a miscommunication between Madrid players to pull one back for his side. The Belgian then replicated the trick again in the stoppage time for his second in very identical circumstances.

Hazard will be integral to Conte’s plans of restoring Chelsea back to its lofty heights, and his performance today cannot be more apt to suggest the same.