Against Sevilla it was a win to finish the year on a positive note, but not much more, even if there were also a few good aspects. And there was no reason for the referees to be unfairly bad in the game (just bad but without intent). Villarreal vs Barcelona game was another example for what bad with intent means.The winter holidays break should do the team good, from multiple points of view. With TAA and Carva injured, Endrick leaving on loan and Brahim on international duty, in January our main options off the bench will be Gonzalo and Franco in attack, while in midfield we'll have Arda and Ceba. We're kind of covered. One of the good aspects against Sevilla was that we're finally getting consistency at playing Mbappe, Vini, Rodry and Jude together. They aren't at their full potential yet, but they'll improve and they should have started to build the chemistry sooner. Just like that catchphrase, that Xabi is working on fixing the defensive aspect first, hasn't been heard for a while after Thibo and Lunin had to step-up, the one that some players don't work well together will probably slowly lose volume as well. Probably also the ones saying that Xabi has his hands tight and that Perez is just waiting for the "right moment" to sack him, especially if the team wins the SSC. Mbappe has equaled one of CR7's records, maybe he'll break it next year. The number of games (and minutes played) should probably also be taken into consideration (CR7 did it while playing 9 games less than Mbappe), but a great personal achievement nonetheless (to be equal at something with CR7). My hope (and confidence) for the next year is that the coaches and the players will be working better together, while at some point in time they (and the fans) could be making fun of the bumpy start. The only ones that will suffer in this scenario will be the social media journos, as they'll have to be more "creative" and break their heads in the process. For now, the boos from Bernabeu during the last game will probably keep them busy enough. Happy winter holidays, MMers! I'll logoff as well to try to make the most of this beautiful period, so I'll see you next year.

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I'll briefly mention some of my "prophecies", not always popular, while sometimes becoming a reality. Then again, I never really cared much about being popular or being right, it's more about saying what I feel while being ignored (my preference) or interacting (e.g. replies) in a neutral manner (I guess that would be fine as well).Vini vs Rodry comparison is a thing of the past. Even Xabi is beyond that at this point, going forward most likely we're going to see them playing together for the most part. Hopefully, they'll both find their best form again. Probably it would have helped the team overall if we would have done this sooner in the season.For the sake of his own career at Real Madrid (and not only, as it applies to most of the big European clubs), Arda will have to adapt and learn about playing as an [advanced] 8. His first "crossroad" will already be next season, after Nico will return at the club. So it will take a couple of years, but he could slowly grow into a younger Toni + Luka combo (with some traits from both of them, but not necessarily with the best traits from both of them combined because that would be too good to be true). These days, the options as 10 are limited, especially those 10s who aren't as good as prime Kaka going forward and who can't do the work of an [advanced] 8 in the moments of the game when needed to do so. As double pivot, probably not so much, but in a 3 men midfield, there is a [bright] future. Xabi is at the risk of having a somehow similar "fate" as Ancelotti, meaning to win, but to be "constructively critized" for not making the tactical moves which some would prefer to see. Business as usual when becoming the coach of Real Madrid. Personal opinion, Xabi will create an own unique style in time, while the train needs to move at the same time slow & fast enough so that everyone can jump on board. The approach that the train is stopped in the station (at the beginning of the season) and then starts to move at bullet-train speed regardless who didn't make it abord, isn't going to be either smart or successful, especially at Real Madrid. Have a good week, MMers!

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