When Real Madrid beat Atalanta in the UEFA Super Cup match, all eyes were on either Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, or Jude Bellingham. However, that’s not what the club man-in-charge, Carlo Ancelotti. The veteran Italian coach felt that it was Rodrygo who was supposed to get the attention.
“He (Rodrygo) was the best in this game,” said Ancelotti via Marca.
During the game, Rodrygo was given a slightly different role. The Brazilian acted like Toni Kroos, serving delicious passes and executing the set-piece situation—a role which according to data, was accomplished.
The number speaks for itself
Marca wrote that Rodrygo completed 97 percent of the passing rate in the first half. The number even increased to 100 percent in the second half when Madrid started to gain confidence to dominate the opponents. Such a number was the best among the Madrid players.
Rodrygo was operating in the right flank, in charge of giving threats to Atalanta alongside Dani Carvajal and Kylian Mbappe. The Brazilian successfully formed a solid partnership with those players, putting Atalanta under deeper pressure.
The impressive stats do not stop there. Among all the attackers Madrid put on that night, Rodrygo was the best at keeping the ball. He won five out of six duels, making it possible for Los Blancos to possess the ball longer than the Italian side.
With a new season just getting started, Ancelotti has a lot of time and space to work something out with Rodrygo. Such a condition gives Madrid an ideal starting point to retain their titles this season.