There's no doubt that real Madrid team is still in disarray recently and they still need improvement. I expected them to score at least 4 goals against Alaves but sometimes we tend to believe that it's a tactical problem of the team. The last goal by Rodrigo is my choice goal. Vinicious Junior's strength, his composure and energetic drifting remains intact. As a matter of fact I would liken that goal as one of those goals whereby their assist is more interesting than the goal itself.
The defence formation was already torn and Alaves had no choice than concede that second goal. Real Madrid only has to close up the gap or at least not let it widen the more. 4 points behind Barcelona after their 17th game. Soon the league will be half gone, maybe fans will start believing that there's no longer time. Now I think that this real Madrid's second place is also temporary because Villarreal with 35 points still have 2 outstanding games which could mean they're overtaking real Madrid soon. But let's stick our focus to Mbappe's Balon d'Or dream and hope real Madrid lifts the title to add to his achievements.
Real Madrid still have areas to improve, especially defensively, but i wouldn't write them off yet. Scoring chances may not always convert into goals and tactical issues cannot be fixed overnight. Vini Jr. continues to show quality and that goal by Rodrigo shows the team's attacking potential is still there. Being 4 points behind Barcelona is not a huge gap and there is still plenty of matches left in the season. Villarreal may have games in hand but results on the pitch will ultimately decide the table. Focusing on individual achievements like Mbappe Balon D'or is fine but Madrid's title ambitions are still alive if they tighten up defensively and keep their consistency in attack.