Gonzalo García scored the only goal

Photo by Michael Regan – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images

Real Madrid secured a place in the FIFA Club World Cup quarter-finals by beating Serie A side Juventus at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on Tuesday afternoon.

The 1-0 victory came courtesy of a towering header from homegrown forward Gonzalo García, with Los Blancos keeping their second consecutive clean sheet to see out the result and book a place in Saturday’s quarter-final.

Three answers

1. Would Kylian Mbappé be fit?

Xabi Alonso was coy about Kylian Mbappé’s availability when asked ahead of this game, and it was clear to see why given how much weight Mbappé had clearly lost during his illness as he’s struggled with gastroenteritis. Mbappé was kept on the bench until 68 minutes for goalscorer Gonzalo García and looked to be in good shape, immediately linking up with his team-mates as if he hadn’t been out of training for over a week.

His quick thinking and good positioning teed him up well, even though it seemed clear that he wasn’t at 100% physically.

The wild reception for him in Miami made it clear the impact that Mbappé can have on the team and their opponents, even if just psychologically, but there’s still more to come from the Frenchman.

2. Would Real Madrid stick with the back three?

After switching from a back four to a back three against RB Salzburg, one of the big questions was whether Real Madrid would stick with that system or make a change against Juventus.

In reality, this system was more like the back three deployed against Salzburg, but did also reflect a far more flexible system in which Aurélien Tchouameni would step up into midfield alongside Arda Güler at times.

That tactical flexibility seemed to be one of the tools that Xabi Alonso sought to use up against Igor Tudor’s team, themselves playing with a back three but having struggled against a similar system when they faced Manchester City last time out.

In the second period, Real Madrid reverted more to the back four and looked much more dominant in possession and started to win the midfield battle.

With Trent deeper, Antonio Rüdiger was less exposed down the right, and Tchouameni dictated the tempo even more from a midfield position. A lesson learnt on this occasion.

3. Would the weather influence play?

While much of the talk in the United States during this tournament has been about the extreme heat, the temperature of 29°C/84°F for this game didn’t seem too different to a spring or autumn game in Spain.

However, there was a 45% chance of lightning at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, with torrential rain before kick-off, and a risk of the game being interrupted just as six others have been at this tournament, sparking a furious rant from Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca among others after his team’s game against Benfica was suspended for almost two hours.

Fortunately for Los Blancos, the heat was manageable and the storms stayed away for the action between the first and final whistles.

Three questions

1. Is Gonzalo García droppable?

Logic would dictate that Xabi Alonso will want to bring Kylian Mbappé back into the side at some point in this tournament, presumably soon, but it’s hard to see how he could justify dropping the tournament’s joint-second highest scorer on three goals, who is only behind Ángel Di María, who scored four penalties.

García showed his aerial prowess in Miami with the kind of headed finish that hasn’t been seen since Joselu left the club, breaking the deadlock and posing a very different threat to what Real Madrid have elsewhere in their squad.

Three goals from 2.04 xG, alongside an assist against Pachuca int he only game in which he has not scored, have made him a valuable option from the start which allowed Alonso to ease Mbappé back into action. Now, he could pose a real selection headache.

2. Has Xabi Alonso unlocked the best of Fede Valverde?

Earlier in the tournament, Xabi Alonso told Managing Madrid that “I have some ideas for Fede, but he’s a player who can play anywhere on the pitch, closer to the wing or in the double pivot”.

Here, he again operated in a more advanced role on the right, somewhat similar to that occupied by Steven Gerrard, who Alonso has repeatedly compared Valverde to since his arrival.

Six shots, four on target, five chances created, 93% passing accuracy, seven touches in the box, five passes into the final third and six recoveries showed just what his energy and work rate could bring with him being released from some defensive duties to break into the box.

Few looked at Valverde as one of those players who could be transformed by the arrival of Alonso, but he might be the first player to be showing real signs of development.

3. What’s next on the path to the final?

All eyes now turn to the later kick-off on Tuesday when Borussia Dortmund take on Monterrey in Atlanta.

The winner of that tie will take on Real Madrid in the quarter-final.

Dortmund would mean a match-up for the Bellingham brothers after Jobe joined Jude’s former club from Sunderland earlier this summer.

Monterrey would mean a rematch with a certain Sergio Ramos.

That game will take place at 4pm ET on Saturday, July 5th, at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, which will later host a final in the tournament.

A semi-final would then face the winner of Paris Saint-Germain against Bayern Munich in a clash of the European giants, again at the MetLife Stadium, with a 3pm ET kick-off on Wednesday, July 9th, before a possible final, again in New Jersey, on Sunday, July 13th at 3pm ET.