Real Madrid News
AS Roma star Donyell Malen raring to face Real Madrid: ‘It will be an extraordinary night’
Real Madrid will face off against AS Roma in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night at the Stadio Olimpico.
It will be a special occasion for Los Blancos manager Jose Mourinho as he returns to face his former employers.
Meanwhile, there is a lot of excitement within the Roma camp as well as they get set to take on the most successful team in the Champions League history.
Donyell Malen excited
Indeed, Roma forward Donyell Malen believes Wednesday’s meeting with Real Madrid will be “an extraordinary night” and the perfect opportunity for the Italian side to assess their level against one of Europe’s leading teams.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference on Tuesday, the Dutch international expressed his excitement ahead of the encounter.
“Tomorrow will be an extraordinary night, the perfect opportunity to test ourselves against one of the best teams in Europe,” Malen said.
The forward recalled that qualifying for the Champions League had been one of his objectives since joining Roma in January.
Now that the club have reached the competition, he believes they can enjoy a special occasion against such prestigious opposition.
“The coach was decisive because of the confidence he gave me from the very beginning, but my team-mates, the coaching staff and the fans also played their part. All these factors contributed to my performances,” he explained.
Malen also highlighted the importance of Roma’s supporters, particularly during difficult moments in a match of this magnitude.
“Having their support will be very important, especially during the difficult moments of the game, because they can really drive you forward,” the Dutchman added.
Malen looks forward to seeing Bellingham again
Asked about Jude Bellingham, whom he previously played alongside at Borussia Dortmund, Malen admitted that he had not spoken to the Real Madrid midfielder recently.
“It has been a long time since we played together. He is a special player, everyone knows that, and it will be a good opportunity to see him again,” the Roma forward commented.
The reunion adds another personal dimension to a match that Malen sees as a valuable test of Roma’s progress against elite European opposition.
Having been sent off in Roma’s last game against Como, the forward is now focused on making a positive contribution against Real Madrid.
“Tomorrow, I will do everything I can to help the team,” he concluded.
Source: Mundo Deportivo
Real Madrid’s adventure so far under new coach Jose Mourinho has been far from perfect and this fact shouldn’t be lost even after the team’s brilliant comeback win over AS Roma in midweek.
However, there are areas where Los Blancos have shown a clear improvement under Mourinho, when compared to previous bosses such as Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa.
One of those areas has been set plays, with Real Madrid appearing far more potent from set pieces this season.
A clear improvement from last season
As reported by Diario AS, the three goals in Rome, all from Arda Guler corners inside a seven-minute blitz, were the perfect advert for the work being done at Valdebebas.
Those strikes took Real Madrid’s set-piece tally to seven goals in just ten matches this season. Four of them have come in La Liga, one from a corner and three from free kicks, with the trio in Rome completing the haul.
It is a striking figure when set against last season’s return. Under Alonso and Arbeloa, Madrid managed 12 set-piece goals across the entire campaign, all in La Liga, split evenly between six from corners and six from free kicks.
On current trends, this side looks well placed to surpass that number comfortably.
The reason behind Real Madrid’s improvement
Attacking set pieces are led at Valdebebas by Pedro Machado, with the whole coaching staff involved and Mourinho himself giving the final green light on every routine.
Defending them, meanwhile, falls to Sami Khedira, though it is treated as a collective effort. Mourinho’s appreciation of that teamwork was clear when Bellingham headed in a Guler free kick against Espanyol, prompting the manager to leap up and embrace his assistants.
Machado, one of Mourinho’s most trusted lieutenants, has followed him from Fenerbahce to Benfica and now Madrid, part of a backroom team blending experience with young, ambitious talent.
On the pitch, Guler is the undisputed master when available, his left foot the key weapon, with Bernardo Silva, Trent Alexander-Arnold and even Diomande also trusted to initiate attacks.
Such meticulous strategy has helped Real Madrid turn into a potent side from set-pieces this season.
