Matches
Bellingham, Cucurella start in a 4-2-3-1: How Real Madrid can line up against Real Sociedad
Real Madrid return to the Santiago Bernabeu tonight as they host Real Sociedad in their postponed Matchday 1 fixture, with Jose Mourinho looking to make it two La Liga wins from two.
Madrid opened their campaign with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Espanyol, where Jude Bellingham scored before summer signing Carlos Espi grabbed a dramatic late winner.
Mourinho will now take charge of his first competitive game at the Bernabeu since returning to the club. The manager still has several absentees to contend with.
Aurelien Tchouameni and Endrick remain unavailable after continuing to train away from the group, while Rodrygo, Eder Militao, Ferland Mendy, Raul Asencio and Thiago Pitarch are also out.
Mourinho has nevertheless named a strong 23-man squad, with Eduardo Camavinga available and youngsters Jorge Cestero, Alexis Ciria and Mario Rivas included.
With Madrid having played just four days ago, some changes could be on the cards against Real Sociedad, and here is how Mourinho can set his team up.
Defence
There should be no debate in goal, with Thibaut Courtois continuing as Mourinho’s first choice ahead of Andriy Lunin. The latter is expected to be limited to minutes in the Copa del Rey.
Denzel Dumfries should retain his place at right-back after starting against Espanyol. The Dutchman provides the physicality and attacking thrust Mourinho values.
Should Jose decide to make a change, though, Trent Alexander-Arnold remains another high-level option.
One possible alteration could come on the opposite flank, as Marc Cucurella could make his Madrid debut from the bench against Espanyol.
After building up his fitness, he could now be handed his first start at the club at the Bernabeu, shortly after being felicitated for the World Cup win.
At centre-back, Dean Huijsen should continue, while Ibrahima Konate also retains his place ahead of Antonio Rudiger.
Midfield
Tchouameni’s continued absence means Jose must once again find the right balance without his natural defensive midfielder.
Bernardo Silva should continue in the deeper role after starting against Espanyol. His ability to dictate possession could be particularly important against Sociedad.
Club captain Federico Valverde is the obvious choice alongside him, providing the legs, intensity and defensive coverage needed to compensate for Bernardo’s playmaking profile.
Further forward, Jude Bellingham is nailed on to keep his place as the No. 10 in a 4-2-3-1 and will hope to add to his goal tally against the Basque club.
Attack
Kylian Mbappe is expected to lead the line once again.
Even with Espi pushing his case after scoring the winner last weekend, displacing the French superstar from the starting striker role remains extremely difficult.
On the left, Vinicius Junior should retain his place and will be hoping for a more decisive performance after an eventful outing against Espanyol.
He made the headlines for all the wrong reasons in the game against the Catalan club and will hope for his game to do the talking this time around.
The biggest question comes on the right flank. Arda Guler started the league opener and had an excellent game, but Mourinho could change things up here.
Yan Diomande was officially presented at Madrid yesterday and could be in line for his first competitive start at his new club.
Mourinho has plenty of attacking options from the bench if required, with Espi, Brahim and Guler all capable of changing the game.
Real Madrid made a mess of their game against Elche last night, and it is clear that the men in white have several flaws with no answers at the moment.
From being 2-0 up, the men in white bottled their lead and threw the game into jeopardy by permitting Elche to score two goals. The result, as many saw it, was set to end in a draw.
With some persistent attacks in the dying minutes, however, Real Madrid managed to build pressure on Elche and eventually scored one more goal at the death to take home the three points.
Needless to say, however, the negatives from the game far outweigh the positive news of the three points.
Madrid Universal brings you three takeaways from Elche 2-3 Real Madrid.
Another second-half collapse
After Real Madrid’s win over Rayo Vallecano at the weekend, Jose Mourinho stressed the fact that Real Madrid actually played only one half and that the fatigue began showing after the break.
On the night, the opposition began to enjoy more dominance and create chances after half-time as they outran and outpressed Los Blancos to good effect.
Last night was no different, and the second half went completely awry.
The men in white entered the half-time break cruising with a 2-0 lead and significant dominance over the proceedings. They had a massive xG, with Elche barely creating any chances of note.
After the break, however, the entire dynamic of the game changed as Real Madrid took a step back and handed the impetus to the hosts. Pressing high and attacking without fear, Elche dominated Real Madrid for most of the second half and had a staggering 60% of possession.
They scored twice – in the 71st and 83rd minutes – and equalised Real Madrid on the night. Given the visitors’ shambolic display, it was deserved for Elche.
At this point, the constant second-half collapses and fatigue struggles of the team after just 45 minutes of action must worry Jose Mourinho immensely. Heading into a derby away from home, Real Madrid have to do much better.
The away curse continues
While Real Madrid’s form at home has been imperious this season, their form away from home has been equally shocking.
They began their season with a last-minute win over Espanyol, and their second league game of the season on the road came against Real Betis and ended in defeat.
Heading into their third away game last night, there was an element of worry about how they would perform, and the trend continued once more.
Real Madrid did well to take the lead on the night, but they made the second half a massive war and far more difficult than it should have been.
At this point, serious questions have to be raised about Real Madrid’s form on the road and their inability to keep games under control when playing in away stadiums.
Heading forward in the season, Los Blancos have some massive away games coming up against far more difficult opposition. The Madrid derby is up next, and the team’s form is nothing promising heading into that fixture.
Carlos Espi saves the day… again!
Real Madrid are currently on 15 points after six games in the league, but Carlos Espi has directly contributed to a massive chunk of that.
If not for the new Spanish striker’s ability to come up clutch in big moments, Real Madrid could well have been on just 11 points at this stage in the season, and the four points he has added are absolutely crucial.
Against Espanyol, it was Espi who scored a stoppage-time winner to hand Real Madrid all three points after a complicated match. Last night, he repeated the same heroics once more.
With the team staring at a draw, the new signing was at the right place at the right time to bury Kylian Mbappe’s assist in stoppage time, handing Real Madrid all three points at the death.
He may not have played a large part on the night, but his cameo was again powerful and it is clear that he elevates the team’s attack and provides new solutions in front of goal. Espi has already proven his talent, and his ability to perform under pressure is what makes him special.
