Haste is rarely a good idea. That may prove to be Jude Bellingham’s mistake, and by extension Xabi Alonso’s, with the Englishman’s return from shoulder surgery. Jude cut a month off the projected recovery time for that type of procedure, and his comeback has not gone as expected. Starting the derby was too much for him, and then, surprisingly benched against Kairat in what looked like the perfect game to regain rhythm, he still couldn’t connect with Madrid’s play.
Inside the club there’s concern about rushing things. The final green light was held back, because Bellingham wanted to put the kit back on even earlier than he has. But his drive in training and Xabi’s consent pushed the return forward. Just two minutes against Espanyol and 19 minutes at the Ciutat de València after 73 days without playing were the only trial runs before the disaster against Atlético.
The derby left its mark. He was one of the faces of Madrid’s impotence at the Metropolitano. Zero shots. Chasing red-and-white shadows more than contributing. Just 24 passes—five fewer than against Levante. It didn’t work, and Xabi brushed past the matter of starting the Englishman. “We need everyone and Jude is a key part, he’d been training well...,” was about all the Basque coach had to say.
Kazakhstan did nothing to help the situation. Xabi reverted to a pre-derby attack (with Mastantuono starting and Güler in his usual spot), and Jude was seen heading down the tunnel at the final whistle with visible frustration. Those 10 minutes against Kairat brought no relief. He came on with the game already decided and still lost four balls in such a short span of time—a bad sign.
How to get Bellingham reengaged in a Madrid side that was flying before the Metropolitano and found only partial relief in Almaty is now Xabi’s task. And with Villarreal up next, after Madrid ceded the league lead last weekend, it looms as a game of necessities more than experiments.