What is the story about?
These observations — where I look at
Real Madrid’s history, its players on loan, Castilla, tactical tidbits, and other relevant thoughts — are now a regular thing. All previous editions can be found here.Here is a new thing I’m committing to this season: Five semi-informal bullet points after each game. Also, check out last night’s post-game podcast where I break down the lost for 34 minutes:
- I’m not pushing a panic button. I realize that what I’m about to say will come across as ‘low standards’, ‘acceptance of mediocrity’, ‘a moral victory’, etc — but I will say it anyway and with my chest: If you replay this game 10 more times, Real Madrid wins it 10 times. We just happened to play the freak version where Kylian Mbappe missed a penalty, three big chances, and then Vinicius missed a big chance, Espi had bad luck, and Real Madrid squandered an xG of nearly four. The math checks out: Real Madrid were mostly good but didn’t score, somehow. What should’ve happened was Real Madrid go up one or two goals by half-time, Bellingham and Güler get a deserved assist each, then Real Betis open up in the second half and get cooked. But also, all that to say: Real Madrid didn’t deserve to win just because they created more chances, and I just made up a scenario to make myself feel better — possibly because I feel numb to the way the last two seasons have gone. Also: Real Madrid are generally terrible at the Benito Villamarin in the last few years. But, at some point, you have to stop using past precedence as an excuse to lose. How many league titles do Real Madrid have in the past 20 years again? Answer: Not enough.
- Another Arda Güler masterclass, wasted. He’s basically been lights out in every minute he’s played in this season. When I have to repeat this after every Arda Güler performance, that’s pretty damn good evidence that he’s one of the best players in Europe right now, and certainly, from an analytical standpoint, clearly one of the best creators on the entire continent.
- Dean Huijsen continues to be a stud. His distribution last night was nearly perfect. He mopped up anything that entered his defensive zone, and even did the same going on the right at times when Ibrahima Konaté was caught. In the 12th minute, he had an incredible challenge which led to a Real Madrid break. In the 15th minute, he broke Betis with a long range diagonal switch. In the 68th minute, he had a phenomenal defensive read which led to Mbappe having a chance the other way.
- Denzel Dumfries does not look right, yet. I believe in him, I’m just not sure he’s ready to start every game yet. He means well. I liked his constant overloads which helped create space and provide valuable outlets for his team. But his touches are off, and for a player as strong as he is, he doesn’t look at his physical best. Trent Alexander-Arnold immediately came in and looked to provide solutions with his long range passing. Of course, part of the challenge is that Jose Mourinho sees a barrier in starting Güler and Trent on the wing together, for a couple reasons, presumably: 1) Defence on the wing; and 2) Dumfries provides width while Arda tucks in. Mourinho has been more inclined to pair Trent with traditional wingers who provide width but can also cover defensively, like Yan Diomande or Brahim Diaz. It’s a dilemma, but it’s going to be challenging fielding all the best players on the field together.
- Can we chill with the Diomande slander? I’m not sure what some of the media want from him. Mourinho is already having trouble fitting Bellingham and Güler into the team. He’s already having challenges subbing out Vinicius and Mbappe. When Diomande came in last night, he was mostly deep with little-to-no-space available, and most of the play was going through the left. Diomande is a really awesome player who can dribble past opponents and defend on the flank. His time will come, but right now the reality of the team is pretty much the same reality as the last two years: Squeezing everyone in is difficult when Vinicius and Mbappe have to play virtually every second regardless of how they’re performing.
- Bonus: Carlos Fucking Espi.
