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Three takeaways from Espanyol 1-2 Real Madrid
Real Madrid kicked off their new campaign with a win last night against Espanyol, but it was anything but comfortable.
Jose Mourinho’s side were made to suffer in Barcelona against a spirited Espanyol side who came out all guns blazing to punish Los Blancos’ shaky defence.
It was a special night in some senses as the likes of Marc Cucurella, Yan Diomande, Bernardo Silva, Carlos Espi and Ibrahima Konate all made their official debuts.
Yet, it was also a night that showed that there is still a long way to go before Mourinho’s effects can be seen in the squad. After all, there was not much to celebrate on the night beyond the debuts and a few solid showings.
Madrid Universal brings you three takeaways from Espanyol 1-2 Real Madrid.
Reminiscent of last season
It’s as if the manager never changed. A new look Real Madrid took to the field last night against Espanyol, boasting of a fresh start and new ideas, but there was seemingly nothing different.
In fact, had there been no knowledge of Jose Mourinho’s arrival, one would have definitely put their money on Alvaro Arbeloa still being at the helm going purely by how Real Madrid turned up last night.
There were very clear complaints about Real Madrid’s lacunae last season, beginning from the unorganised defence and lack of creativity in midfield to the incoherent attack.
The forwards were criticised for not participating in the press, and the team often left games late to win with individual brilliance.
That was exactly what unfolded against Espanyol in Jose Mourinho’s first official game in charge of the club.
Los Blancos’ defence last night was out of sync and often left large spaces for Espanyol to run into. The goal scored by the hosts was a testament to the same.
In midfield, they once again lacked creativity and control, and it was evident throughout the buildup phase of the game. Barring a few moments of brilliance, the chance creation was limited and the team were left scrambling for a winner until the dying moments.
In the end, it again required individual brilliance from Carlos Espi to seal the win, and Real Madrid just scraped past the finish line just as they did regularly last season.
Vinicius and Mbappe fail to click
As always, all eyes were on the team’s two star forwards last night as Real Madrid began the new season, especially after both shone at the FIFA World Cup with their respective nations.
Both Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr started on the night, and there was hope that there would be an improvement in their synergy after the break.
The signs the game left, however, were anything but encouraging as both players were far from their best and anything but in sync.
Coming off a run of great form, Mbappe looked completely lost in front of goal and often took away chances that could have been well set up for his teammates.
In 90 minutes, the Frenchman made nothing of an xG of 1.53, took a total of ten shots of which just three were on target and even missed two big chances. In that sense, it was a performance very uncharacteristic of Mbappe.
Vinicius, meanwhile, was very disappointing on the flank as he racked up just one shot all game and completed a meagre nine accurate passes of 13 attempted in 90 minutes. He did complete three successful dribbles, but his success rate was under 50%.
The player barely contributed to Real Madrid’s creativity, delivered no crosses and barely created any chances of importance. His synchrony with Mbappe, meanwhile, was nonexistent.
At Real Madrid, it always is about the big names, and Jose Mourinho must bring the best out of the star duo soon. The signs from last night’s game are anything but promising, but there are indeed still early days.
Guler and Bellingham shine
As ironic as it is, Real Madrid’s best performers last night were in midfield despite the team lacking rhythm and control in the department.
Arda Guler, in particular, was an absolute standout for Real Madrid on that front as he was seemingly everywhere on the field.
The young Turk excelled on the ball with his creativity and picked out the right passes to unlock Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Jr. and Kylian Mbappe. His press resistance also helped the team to some extent and he stood out with his defensive work rate as well.
In 64 minutes, Guler produced three defensive contributions, won five ground duels and completed 93% of his passes. He also made a staggering seven key passes and earned an assist.
His partner in the advanced midfield – Juve Bellingham, also produced a massive shift for the team and was one of the most confident and productive threats for the team in the final third.
Not only did he score the team’s vital opener, but the Englishman made Espanyol’s box his own territory with two shots on target and one off the woodwork. He completed 93% of his passes, 100% of long passes and had two key passes against Espanyol.
The midfield duo, in that sense, were the heart and soul of Real Madrid’s win and are seemingly undroppable in Mourinho’s system. It remains to be seen how the manager accommodates the team’s new record signing Yan Diomande with the duo in the coming days.
Not many saw the result that unfolded at the Estadio de La Cartuja last night coming, as Real Madrid slipped to a shocking 1-0 defeat to Real Betis.
Jose Mourinho made a couple of changes to his team on the night but fielded one of his strongest possible XIs, acknowledging the difficulty of the challenge Los Verdiblancos posed.
The first half ended scoreless, with the visitors completely dominating the flow of the game but failing to convert their chances. After the break, they only upped the ante and pressed higher to break the deadlock.
Almost against the flow of the game, however, Troy Parrott fired from very close range to put his side ahead through a set-piece, and Real Madrid had just ten minutes to find two goals.
A hard-fought ten minutes, a disallowed goal and a missed penalty later, however, the full-time whistle blew with Real Madrid staring at defeat.
Madrid Universal brings you three takeaways from Real Betis 1-0 Real Madrid.
A first loss under Mourinho
Real Madrid’s lacunae were visible in the team’s first away clash of the new season when they took home a last-gasp win over Espanyol.
They looked comfortable at home, but it has always been clear that they are not invincible.
A first defeat of the season, in that sense, was always just a matter of time as the team continued to develop under Jose Mourinho, and that setback appeared early in the campaign last night.
The defeat to Real Betis at the Estadio de La Cartuja continued Real Madrid’s trend of struggling away from home and exposed the team’s lacunae to the world once more.
A lot can be said about the refereeing and how the result was harsh on Los Blancos, but the fact of the matter remains that a team with the talent that Real Madrid possesses simply has no excuses to look so blunt in attack.
Jose Mourinho’s men created chances in abundance on the night, but none of the team’s star forwards could effectively finish a single chance.
Kylian Mbappe had a rare off-night and even Jude Bellingham did not score from any of his three shots. Vinicius Jr., Arda Guler, Yan Diomande and Carlos Espi all had their chances, but all failed to bury even a single chance.
In the end, it can be called misfortune, but for Real Madrid to have made nothing of an xG of 3.46 and to miss a penalty in the same game has to be dug into. The players did not play poorly, but the lack of a lethal finish came back to bite them.
Mbappe’s controversial penalty
Real Madrid had a massive chance to salvage something from the frustrating night in the 94th minute when the referee awarded the visitors a penalty that would see them return to level terms.
Kylian Mbappe stepped up, and it was taken for granted that the Frenchman would score as usual. Astonishingly, however, Mbappe did not find the back of the net.
For starters, it must be said that the Merengues have no one to blame but themselves for the defeat to Real Betis, for they could not have had a clearer chance to steal at least a point away from the night.
However, there was a clear element of controversy in the spot-kick that must not be misinterpreted as an excuse.
At the precise moment that Mbappe struck the ball from the spot, a Real Betis player was half inside the penalty area with his foot in the air.
Had the player’s foot been on the ground, the penalty would certainly have been retaken, and had he been outside the area, the save would be deemed completely fair. His foot being airborne, yet inside the box, however, opens up a grey area.
The referee on the night believed that having the foot in the air did not warrant a retake, and saw Real Madrid lose their penalty.
However, there are strong grounds to claim that it should have been retaken as his foot being inside the box takes precedence over whether it was grounded or not.
Had the referee’s decision gone differently, one would have backed Mbappe to come good the second time and Real Madrid would have avoided the defeat.
Alvaro Valles deserves his flowers
For Real Madrid to create seven big chances, have 20 shots and an xG of 3.46, and yet not score is simply absurd. But it happened last night against Los Verdiblancos, and only one man stood in between Real Madrid and the scoresheet – Alvaro Valles.
The Real Betis goalkeeper delivered the performance of his lifetime as he stopped chance after chance and denied the visitors any sight of goal.
In 90 minutes, Valles made a staggering six saves, all of which came from inside the box, and prevented a direct xG of 2.98. In simpler terms, Real Madrid should have scored three goals past him with the quality of chances they had, but he directly stopped them all.
Further, Valles saved Mbappe’s penalty under the highest of pressure in a moment that was simply the crowning moment of his entire night.
On a different night, with a different goalkeeper, the outcome of the game could well have been very different.
Valles, however, deserves every bit of praise he is earning for his performance last night, and even Real Madrid fans have no option but to stand and applaud the shift he put in for ninety minutes.
