Madridistas got their first look at Jose Mourinho 2.0’s Real Madrid as the side took on Primera RFEF opponents AD Alcorcón at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stéfano on Friday evening, with Dani Yáñez scoring the only goal of the game from the penalty spot.
The first 20 minutes of action were open for journalists and viewers on Real Madrid TV, with a series of substitutions meaning that this game was entirely focused on building fitness for those who weren’t involved in this summer’s World Cup.
Here, we run
through some of the takeaways from the short sighting of action.
1 – This is still early pre-season
The line-up which started this game featured Andriy Lunin in goal, a strong defensive unit of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dean Huijsen, Raúl Asencio and Álvaro Carreras, but much weaker midfield and attacking depth where the trios were formed by Thiago Cestero, Eduardo Camavinga and Arda Güler and in attack by Franco Mastantuono, Gonzalo García and Gabri Valero. The club reported that the XI on the field at the time of the final whistle were all players from Castilla and the club’s youth teams.
2 – 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1?
While the available first team players were always likely to have a strong influence on how Jose Mourinho set his team up here, it was intriguing to see that Real Madrid began pre-season with a 4-3-3 shape. The system was what worked so well in Mourinho’s previous stint at the club, although he operated more regularly with a 4-2-3-1 with Benfica last season. At times, this shape did shift to look like a 4-2-3-1, with Güler stepping forward ahead of Cestero and Camavinga, and showing some of the tactical versatility that could be a point to watch in pre-season.
3 – Arda Güler stepped up as a penalty-taker
Without any of the usual suspects to take a penalty, the second-minute spot kick gave an opportunity to Arda Güler to step forward. It’s perhaps unsurprising given that he has a 100% successive rate from 12 yards, scoring all seven penalties he has taken in his career. The last one, however, was in April 2022, and the rustiness showed as his low penalty down to Oriol Martí‘s right was saved as it was hit without pace or power for his first recorded penalty save at the age of 26. In the second period, Dani Yáñez earned and converted a spot-kick for the winner.
4 – A shot at redemption for Franco Mastantuono
On the same day as reports linking the club with RB Leipzig’s Yann Diamonde emerged, Franco Mastantuono did his best to stake a claim. With Rodrygo still sidelined with a long-term knee injury, and the likes of Brahim Díaz yet to return after the World Cup, this summer is the Argentine’s opportunity to prove a point. He was lively down the right flank, winning the penalty which Güler missed, and showed no lack of confidence. The teenager will face much tougher tests, but this was a strong first audition, with many club sources pointing to Mastantuono as being the best individual performer throughout the whole game.
5 – Eduardo Camavinga as the team’s lone pivot
In midfield, Eduardo Camavinga is also looking for a lifeline. Speculation linking him with a move away from the Bernabéu appears to have settled somewhat in recent weeks, and he was thriving with an influential midfield role against Alcorcón. Operating as the lone pivot, he was not called upon frequently in a defensive aspect, but was crucial to build-up play, dropping deep and operating like a quarterback in the middle of the midfield three with great success.
6 – An imprecise Trent Alexander-Arnold needs to make the most of this time
While he joined as a star last summer, injuries have prevented Trent Alexander-Arnold from nailing down first choice at right-back. This summer has seen him miss out on England’s World Cup squad and seen Denzel Dumfries signed to compete with him. That’s stiff competition. It also perhaps explains why Trent was perhaps too eager to impress. In the first 20 minutes he twice looked to play spectacular long balls through only to find themselves nowhere near their target, and bombed down the flank only to lose possession with a poor touch in a one-two. Trent’s clearly got the quality and the ambition, but Jose Mourinho will need to find the balance between the two if he’s to get the best out of the former Liverpool man.
