Real Madrid, under José Mourinho, remains a work in progress. Since the Roma game, the team’s dynamics have steadily improved. This stems largely from the positional changes Mourinho has implemented, along with the contributions of players such as Bernardo Silva and Yan Diomandé, who have brought greater balance and control.
Against Valencia, Real Madrid’s off-ball movements proved crucial in nearly every phase of possession. They allowed the team to progress the ball through the thirds, vacate spaces
for teammates, and attack the areas behind Valencia’s defensive line.
When attacking depth, Mbappé offers clear advantages. He is highly likely to be followed, and his runs stretch the opposition vertically. With quality passers operating from deeper positions, Real Madrid can either release him in behind or use his movement to open space for teammates between the lines. In one sequence, Bellingham’s intelligence stood out as he stayed put while Valencia’s block shifted, freeing himself on Rodríguez’s blindside:
Runs in behind expand the opposition vertically, while width stretches them horizontally. Diomandé, hugging the touchline, drew Maffeo across, while Mbappé occupied Pepelu. This allowed Cucurella to find and exploit the gap between the centre-back and wing-back:
A minute later, Real Madrid overloaded the left side and dragged Valencia deeper. Guerra shuffled across to monitor Mbappé; Rodríguez dropped to cover the gap between Pepelu and Tarrega, while Mayol tracked Güler at the edge of the box. On the far side, Bellingham, Bernardo Silva, and Valverde outnumbered De Haas and Gayà. Forcing Valencia to compress vertically gave Mbappé room to switch play to the opposite side:
Valverde then underlapped Silva into the gap between Tarrega and Gayà. Bernardo Silva released him, but Tarrega cleared the effort:
Real Madrid spent the majority of the match at Mestalla in settled possession. Here, Valencia defended in a 4-4-2 medium block. Bellingham and Mbappé pinned the centre-backs, allowing Arda Güler to sneak between the full-back and centre-back and attack the space behind Valencia’s backline:
Real Madrid held numerical superiority around Valencia’s first line, giving the centre-backs time and space to pick passes. Konaté spotted the Turkish international’s run and released him with a ball over the top. Güler, however, failed to convert:
When Valencia pressed high, Real Madrid found different solutions to exploit the spaces behind the home side’s defensive line. In one sequence, Valencia attempted to trap Real Madrid near the touchlines:
Javier Aguirre’s side applied little pressure on the ball. Yan Diomandé dropped in near the flank, dragging the opposing full-back with him, while Mbappé occupied Tarrega in the left half-space. This allowed Bellingham to peel off wide, offering himself for Cucurella to play a pass over the top:
The ball released Bellingham alone. He galloped the length of the pitch, penetrated the box, and shot into the goalkeeper’s hands:
Inviting Valencia to jump forward provided another way for Real Madrid to decompress the hosts. Valencia responded by shifting into a man-to-man high press after a backward pass. Mourinho’s side consistently found gaps within Valencia’s structure or behind the defensive line.
After half an hour, Huijsen attempted to switch play to the underloaded side, but the delivery took a backward path. Valverde recycled possession:
Valencia reacted to the trigger and stepped up. Konaté played a line-breaking pass against Valencia’s momentum, slicing them open to find Bellingham between the lines:
Mbappé attacked the gap between the centre-backs. Güler then slid a through-ball to the French striker, who failed to make contact:
In another sequence, Real Madrid enticed Valencia to advance and press high. The hosts took the bait. Real Madrid’s centre-backs split wide, and Bernardo Silva came short to bounce the pass back to Huijsen:
Huijsen then advanced. Valencia’s backline looked disorganised, which helped Mbappé stay onside as he attacked the space behind. Huijsen recognised the opportunity and clipped the ball over the top, but Mbappé was not clinical:
Before Mbappé’s goal, Valencia reacted to Real Madrid’s backward passes by jumping into a man-to-man high press:
Courtois launched a long pass to Arda Guler, who ran beyond Pepelu and won his physical battle. Guler controlled the knockdown and released Mbappé behind Tarrega. The French forward dribbled past the goalkeeper to guide the ball home.
Off-ball movements create confusion and dilemmas for opponents. Against Valencia, they proved decisive in dismarking teammates and opening spaces to attack. As a result, Real Madrid found multiple, versatile routes into the box and generated high-quality chances.
