Matches
Valverde, Brahim start in a 4-3-3 – How Real Madrid can line up against Leganes
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti faces a challenging situation ahead of the upcoming match against Leganes. With multiple injuries affecting key players, the lineup for this game could be one of the most uncertain of the season.
The match will be the first without Lucas Vazquez, who has been sidelined along with Rodryo and Eder Militao. These injuries occurred during the team’s previous league match against Osasuna, adding to the club’s list of injury concerns.
In addition, Dani Carvajal and David Alaba are also unavailable, leaving Ancelotti with few options.
Another key absence is Aurelien Tchouameni, a crucial player in the defensive setup. His absence will make it even more difficult for Ancelotti to manage the team’s defensive strategy.
The injuries to these important players are undoubtedly a significant setback for the team, but they are not the only challenges Ancelotti has to consider.
Many players have just returned from international duty, which could affect their fitness levels.
With the crucial Champions League match against Liverpool just three days after the Leganes game, Ancelotti will have to balance his squad’s physical readiness and avoid overloading them before such an important fixture.
Given the circumstances, here’s an overview of how the team might line up against Leganes, despite the uncertainty surrounding the availability of players.
Defence
Thibaut Courtois is set to make his return to the starting lineup after missing the previous matches, including the El Clasico and the defeat to Milan. His return means that Andriy Lunin, who has been standing in for Courtois, will return to the bench.
In the right-back position, Federico Valverde will likely remain the best option available to Ancelotti, given the lack of alternatives in this position.
The central defence pair will likely consist of Raul Asencio and Antonio Rudiger. Asencio, although not a regular starter in this position, has been filling in well and will be expected to take on a significant role.
Rudiger, on the other hand, is more experienced and will be looking to provide the necessary stability at the back. Meanwhile, Ferland Mendy will keep his position as the left-back, as he continues to perform decently in this role.
Midfield
With Valverde being shifted to the right-back position, the midfield will see some changes. Eduardo Camavinga is expected to take over as the defensive pivot.
Camavinga has shown his versatility in the past and will be tasked with shielding the defence and maintaining control of the midfield. This leaves a gap in the creative and attacking positions, which will likely be filled by Jude Bellingham.
Furthermore, Luka Modric will once again take on the role of distributing the ball and providing the necessary creativity in the midfield.
His experience and vision make him indispensable, and he will be key to controlling the game. However, it seems that both Arda Guler and Dani Ceballos will start from the bench.
Guler, the promising young Turkish midfielder, has yet to cement a regular starting place in the squad, and Ceballos, despite being a strong backup option, is expected to provide support from the sidelines.
Attack
With Rodrygo unavailable due to injury, Brahim Diaz will likely step in as the natural replacement on the right wing. Diaz has shown glimpses of his potential and will have a big opportunity to make an impact in this match.
On the left, Vinicius Jr. will continue to provide a threat, as his pace and dribbling ability remain crucial to Madrid’s attacking play.
Kylian Mbappe, on his part, will once again be deployed as the centre-forward. Mbappe’s presence up front will be vital for the team’s attacking cohesion, and Ancelotti will be looking to him to lead the charge.
Features
Clean sheet at last, Vinicius’ moment of madness | Three takeaways from Real Madrid 1-0 Villarreal
Real Madrid took all three points against Villarreal on Saturday night to get back on track after the international break, and thus ensured they did not continue sinking after the defeat at the Madrid derby.
Jose Mourinho made some bold decisions in his starting XI as he benched Vinicius Jr., playing Yan Diomande on the left-flank and Arda Guler on the right flank.
The dynamics worked out decently well, and it was eventually the new record signing who scored for the club to hand them the lead and the win.
Compared to performances before the international break, there was an improvement in terms of Real Madrid’s level, but the team are still far off from where they must be to make a strong case to be title contenders.
Madrid Universal brings you three takeaways from Real Madrid 1-0 Villarreal.
The struggle continues
All of Real Madrid’s season so far has been of struggles and difficult wins, and the same theme continued last night as the team returned from the international break.
Los Blancos have failed to look convincing for a long time now, and they did not dominate Villarreal in any capacity last night as well.
Continuing with the same theme of winning by narrow margins and scraping past the finish line, they registered yet another 1-0 win that did not leave anyone convinced.
Yan Diomande’s goal was the only positive takeaway from the night, and even that was made possible only after a narrow offside decision went in their favor. With the firepower they have, struggling to create chances to such an extent seems inexcusable.
With a difficult month ahead, last night’s game did not give fans any reason to believe matters have changed after the international break. At this rate, the coming month could be a bleak one for Los Blancos.
Vinicius’ moment of madness
Of all the events that transpired at the Santiago Bernabeu last night, the most memorable one was the incident involving Vinicius Jr.’s goal, and embarrassingly so.
Having seemingly scored a great goal ten minutes after Diomande’s opener, the Brazilian star was on his way to celebrate the achievement, but what unfolded thereafter was embarrassing.
The VAR found an incident of Vinicius pulling the hair of a Villarreal player for no apparent reason in the build-up to the goal, and at this point there can be no arguments defending the player’s behavior.
As one of the biggest names of one of Europe’s biggest clubs, there has to be a sense of responsibility in one’s role – something Vinicius simply does not seem to have. What he did last night was simply inexcusable.
A lot can be said about VAR’s selective interference, but what cannot be argued is that what Vinicius did last night was a clear red card offense.
He will now miss El Clasico and will serve at least a two-game suspension. Whether that is a boon or a bane for Real Madrid, at this point, remains unknown and only time will tell.
A clean sheet at last
Ahead of last night’s win over Villarreal, Real Madrid had only overseen one clean sheet in eight games across competitions.
In that sense, simply keeping the opposition from scoring last night was an achievement in itself for Los Blancos, and it could not have come at a better time.
Real Madrid entered the game without many of their regular defenders available, especially with Dean Huijsen suspended and Eder Militao and Raul Asencio out through injury.
Ibrahima Konate and Antonio Rudiger, thus, started in central defense on the night and both did phenomenally well for Los Blancos. They were joined by Alvaro Carreras and Trent Alexander-Arnold, both of whom complemented the duo well.
The right-back was a relatively weak link defensively, but Konate and Rudiger were spot-on with their reading of the game to keep the Villarreal attack from scoring. They both did eventually pick up yellow cards, but Villarreal finished the game without a single big chance created.
Finding defensive stability, which is the cornerstone of Mourinho’s project, is massive for the manager, and he will be pleased to have a new working formula.
What happens after Huijsen’s return, however, remains to be seen, as the manager may well like to hand the new duo some more chances to prove their consistency.
