Alvaro Carreras – Is There Anything He Can’t Do?
What a signing. Can’t praise him enough. Does everything right. Tonight he was deployed as a left center-back and never put a foot wrong.
Levante started
with two up top—Etta Eyong and Ivan Romero—but it didn’t matter. Carreras just handled it. I once said the Filipe Luís comparison was apt. Now I’m not sure it does him justice. Luis de la Fuente would be mad not to have him in Spain’s World Cup squad.
Vinicius Jr – Back Where It All Began
Levante at the Ciutat de Valencia. The place where Vini’s career truly took off in 2021. Tonight felt fitting. A day after the Ballon d’Or gala, a year removed from one of the lowest points of his career.
He delivered. An outside-of-the-boot finish from the right flank—Modric-esque. Later, an assist on a Mourinho-style counter to set up Mastantuono. Back where it all began, Vini produced.
Mbappe – Alpha
I liked seeing Mbappe pissed off. I liked seeing the hands in the air when he didn’t get the ball, or when a teammate lost it. Last season, he was too apathetic. He took the “ego” talk too far, worried too much about balance in the dressing room.
This year, he is the man. Hungry, demanding, expecting the ball. That’s the alpha version of Mbappe . That’s the one Madrid need.
Squad Depth
Fran Garcia, Dani Ceballos, Raul Asencio. Each had solid games. Asencio even out of position at right-back.
If Madrid want to win La Liga and make a deep Champions League run, these players will matter. Tonight, they showed capable against lower league sides.
