Real Madrid’s Champions League quarterfinal matchup with Arsenal ended in a humiliating two-leg loss. Declan Rice was the star of the show as the Gunners crushed Los Blancos 3-0 at home before winning 2-1 at the Bernabeu to complete a 5-1 aggregate record.
As a result, the media will almost surely discuss Madrid’s need for a little rebuilding in the upcoming weeks. Many players on the club could lose their spot in the starting lineup, but manager Carlo Ancelotti is being linked to leaving.
New players have been linked to the position of centre-back in particular. Most notably, William Saliba of Arsenal has been mentioned as a target for a long time. Considering that curiosity, it’s intriguing to see what the Spanish media thought of the Frenchman’s performance in the second leg against Madrid.
“A serious error” is how the Spanish media describes Saliba’s error.
Anyone watching could see that Saliba and the entire Arsenal defence were excellent in both matches because Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior, the Ballon d’Or hopes for Los Blancos, hardly got a sniff. The teenage centre-back, however, was mostly to blame for the one goal given up since he squandered control in his own area, which let Vini Jr. ram the ball into David Raya’s net.
Although that error was acknowledged and received reasonable criticism, the majority of the Spanish press was able to recognise the outstanding defender’s overall performance.
Marca described him as the “best defender” and added that Saliba’s mistake was unlike of character: “Vinicius stole the ball and scored into an empty net due to an error that was not typical of the Gunners’ best defender, Saliba.”
While pointing out how many clearances Saliba has made (11 total), Alex de Llano merely commended his ability to defend crosses in the box and added that he is “very prone to resisting in that situation.”
The Mundo Deportivo journalists were a bit harsher. “An error uncharacteristic of a centre-back like Saliba,” according to Mario Calderon. “Reckless Saliba,” Fernando Gabarro wrote.
In the ball output, he committed a grave mistake that led Madrid to believe.
Perhaps most damning was Anna Cordovilla, who merely referred to it as a “monumental mistake by Saliba.”
The Spanish media’s reaction to Declan Rice’s performance during Real Madrid’s 1-2 victory over Arsenal
The Spanish press has had a lot to say about his performance at the Bernabeu, and he stole the show in the first leg at the Emirates.
All things considered, the performance is only going to stoke the rumours that are circulating between Real Madrid and the Frenchman. Everyone could see how good he was overall in both legs, and Los Blancos could need a player like Saliba at the back after giving up five goals. However, supporters of Arsenal will be hoping that the error will be sufficient to turn off his followers.
xz
