Real Madrid News
Jose Mourinho’s big selection dilemma ahead of Real Madrid vs Real Sociedad revealed
Jose Mourinho’s first official starting lineup back at Real Madrid had some surprises at the weekend, especially in midfield.
Aurelien Tchouameni was absent on the night, prompting Mourinho to deploy an interesting midfield pivot with Federico Valverde and Bernardo Silva.
Jude Bellingham naturally started as the attacking midfielder, and the manager opted to deploy Arda Guler as well in place of a right-winger.
Ultimately, the extra-man in midfield paid off and helped Real Madrid create chances against Espanyol, many of which came from the feet of Guler himself.
A dilemma for tonight
As confirmed by AS in a recent update, the Real Madrid manager is now in a dilemma ahead of the team’s match day 1 clash scheduled for later today.
Facing off against Real Sociedad, he is conflicted on whether to retain the extra man in midfield or drop the advantage for a natural right-winger. Guler or Diomande – that is the question.
The two players are competing for a starting spot tonight, both for a place on the right-wing on paper. While Diomande will stick wide as a traditional winger, however, the Turkish star will drop more centrally into a creative role.
Both players will undoubtedly have minutes, but it remains to be seen who starts and who comes on as a substitute.
Price tag matters
Under usual circumstances, it would be a no-brainer for Guler to continue starting after the performance he dropped in the previous game.
The issue, however, is that he is not competing for a spot with any other player but the club’s record signing.
Yan Diomande became Real Madrid’s costliest arrival when he signed for the club earlier this summer, and with that price tag comes a natural requirement to start.
His cameo off the bench at the weekend, however, was anything but promising and it will thus be interesting to see how Mourinho tackles the situation.
Will the manager go for the bigger name and more lavish signing under pressure to field him? Or will he hand minutes to a seasoned player who dropped a superior performance just days ago? A big decision awaits.
Real Madrid News
Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr. admits finishing problem after another frustrating night vs Elche: ‘Can’t miss that much’
Vinicius Jr.’s difficult start in front of goal continued against Elche, and the Real Madrid forward did not need anyone to tell him he had missed another chance to make the difference.
The Brazilian finished the night without a goal despite having chances to get on the scoresheet, while his teammates could only watch from the bench as opportunities went begging.
Jose Mourinho had already identified the problem before kick-off, bluntly pointing to the issue facing his forward, stating, “He’s missing the goal.”
Vini offered an equally frank assessment afterwards.
Rather than hide from another frustrating evening, he accepted responsibility on social media: “The goals will come back; I can’t miss that much…”
Two chances, no finish for Vinicius
Vinicius had two particularly clear openings against Elche, but neither produced the finish Real Madrid needed from their star forward.
The first arrived when he found himself one-on-one with the opposition goalkeeper.
Instead of finding the net, Vinicius caught the ball with the tip of his foot and sent his effort wide. Arda Guler was available during the move and called for the ball, but Vini backed himself to finish the chance.
He had another opportunity after the interval, this time following an excellent pass from Guler during a quick Real Madrid transition. Again, though, Vinicius could not find the target.
His evening ended in the 68th minute, with Mourinho deciding the Brazilian was tired and turning his attention towards Sunday’s Atletico Madrid derby.
Mourinho has a bigger decision to make
The numbers show why Vinicius’ finishing has become a talking point. He managed five shots against Elche, but only one was on target and none found the net.
After seven appearances this season, the Brazilian has scored just once, which is a striking return for a player Real Madrid rely upon to provide a major share of their attacking threat.
Ultimately, though, Real Madrid found another route to victory, with Arda Guler, Kylian Mbappe and Carlos Espi providing the goals in the 3-2 comeback.
