Real Madrid needed Mbappé against Talavera because nobody else can finish
Real Madrid scraped past Talavera 3-2 in the Copa del Rey, and Xabi Alonso's justification for playing Mbappé the full match is brutal in its honesty: "He was decisive by scoring a brace because he has the gift of scoring. The third goal was essential. That's why we kept him on the pitch and that's why he started." Translation: we can't trust anyone else to put the ball in the net against a team from the third tier of Spanish football.
Mbappé scored twice and created the own goal that made it 3-1. Without him, Real Madrid probably lose to a team they should beat 5-0 with their reserves. That's not a compliment to Mbappé—it's an indictment of everyone else. When you need your €180 million superstar to play 90 minutes against semi-professional opposition because your squad depth can't handle the job, you've got structural problems.
The risk-reward calculation makes no sense
Playing Mbappé for 90 minutes against Talavera is terrible squad management. He's coming off a packed schedule, Real Madrid face Sevilla next in La Liga, and the Copa del Rey Round of 32 against third-division opposition is the perfect opportunity to rest your star forward. Instead, Alonso ran him into the ground because he's terrified of what happens without him.
What if Mbappé picks up an ankle injury on Talavera's uneven pitch? What if a desperate defender clatters him in the 85th minute trying to salvage pride? You've just compromised your entire season to avoid embarrassment in a cup match that should be a formality. That's panic management, not strategic planning.
Alonso admits Real Madrid lack efficiency without Mbappé
Alonso tried to soften the blow by praising Rodrygo: "The statistics are the statistics, but Rodrygo played an important role. We need players just as efficient." Except they're not. Rodrygo's talented, but he's not a natural finisher. Vinicius Jr. is brilliant at creating chaos but wasteful in front of goal. Real Madrid's attacking depth is shockingly thin for a club of their stature.
The manager continued: "We could have been closer to scoring, but we could have scored more goals." That's meaningless coach-speak for "we created chances and didn't finish them." Against Talavera. A team that plays in front of 5,000 fans on a good day. If your squad can't convert chances against that level of opposition without Mbappé holding their hands, what happens in a Champions League knockout tie?
The performance exposed deeper issues
Alonso acknowledged the shaky performance: "It's the kind of thing that happens in cup competitions. It happens to us like it happens to other teams. Even at 1-3, which was important, we conceded the foul and they pressed hard." That's revisionist history. Cup upsets happen, but not because elite teams dominate the first half and fail to kill the game. Real Madrid led 3-1 and let Talavera back into it because they couldn't maintain intensity.
He added: "They motivated themselves. We dominated the first half and the fact that we didn't score to make it 0-3 left the match open." Again, that's on Real Madrid. When you're 2-0 up against third-tier opposition and don't put them away, that's not bad luck—that's complacency mixed with a lack of killer instinct from your non-Mbappé players.
Alonso refuses to call it dependence but that's exactly what it is
The manager tried to spin the performance positively: "The objective was to progress, and that's why I'm happy. We need to be more consistent and reliable in our performances during matches, to finish games off and gain maturity." Maturity? Real Madrid have won 15 European Cups. If they need to gain maturity against Talavera, something's fundamentally broken.
He concluded: "Our next objective is Sevilla. We need the three points, and that's what we're aiming for. Then we'll focus on our weaknesses, notably consistency and maintaining our performance level." The weakness is obvious: without Mbappé, this team can't score goals reliably. That's not a consistency issue, that's a personnel issue.
What this means for Alonso's Real Madrid
If Alonso feels compelled to play Mbappé 90 minutes against third-division opposition because the alternative is genuine risk of elimination, Real Madrid are in trouble. You can't play your best forward every single match for an entire season. He'll break down physically, mentally, or both. And when he does, Real Madrid have no Plan B.
The Copa del Rey match should've been a chance to build confidence in squad players, give Mbappé a rest, and rotate ahead of crucial La Liga and Champions League fixtures. Instead, it exposed that Real Madrid are a one-man attack wearing the famous white jersey. That's not sustainable, and it's not acceptable for a club with their resources.
The bottom line
Xabi Alonso played Kylian Mbappé for 90 minutes against third-tier Talavera because Real Madrid can't score without him. The manager's explanation was honest to the point of damning: "He has the gift of scoring." Nobody else does, apparently. That's a squad construction failure, a depth problem, and a tactical issue all wrapped into one messy 3-2 victory that should've been comfortable. When you need your star to rescue you from embarrassment against semi-pros, you're not a Champions League contender—you're a team with a Mbappé-sized problem waiting to explode.
