Real Madrid has suffered a resounding defeat against Paris-Saint Germain in the United States. Xabi Alonso is clear that there's still a lot of work to do, having to make some decisions that could prove quite unpopular. This 4-0 result leaves an image that nobody wanted to show... It could mean a step back from the positive feelings shown so far.
The elimination from the Club World Cup hasn't gone unnoticed by anyone, even less so for Maldini. The analyst has been blunt on his X account, saying about this PSG-Madrid: "They crushed Real Madrid and didn't want to rub it in. It could've been a much more damaging result. It's true they gave away two goals right at the start, but even then the superiority was obvious and Courtois was already starting to be the hero".
Maldini points out 2 players in Real Madrid
Maldini hasn't stopped there. Far from just analyzing this match, the analyst has been blunt with two Real Madrid players. Specifically, he has publicly pointed out the two starting center-backs against the French: Raúl Asencio and Rüdiger.
"The tournament leaves Raúl Asencio very affected and probably devastated. And Antonio Rüdiger not as much, but almost. That's the reality", Maldini pointed out.
Maldini isn't wrong. The mistakes by Asencio and Rüdiger in the opening moments of the match led to the final rout in the United States. The Spaniard made a mistake by being overconfident in a clearance, while the German wasn't sharp at the back. If it hadn't been for Courtois, the result would've been even more painful.
Raúl Asencio, hurt
At 22 years old and with his contract recently renewed with Real Madrid, Raúl Asencio is the main victim of Xabi Alonso's arrival. He has played a total of 2 hr. 1 min. (121 min.) in this Club World Cup, making mistakes uncharacteristic of a defender of his stature.
In the first match, he was substituted at halftime and in the second, he was sent off during the opening minutes. From there, he only played 5 min. against Juventus and... due to Huijsen's sending off, he had to start against Paris-Saint Germain.
The image isn't good at all, resulting in Raúl Asencio losing his starting spot. He needs to improve, a lot.