17/09/2025
๐จ๐๐พโโ๏ธREAL truths about REAL MADRID:
The right wing is not good enough. Mastantuono is talented but is still raw and needs grooming. It's shameful that Madrid-based media, particularly Diario AS, has been persistently pitting the boy against Lamine Yamal. It's uncalled for. Mastantuono, currently, is not there yet.
It still feels like Rodrygo will be better fit for the right while Vini (provided he's at his best) comes in on the left, or alternates with Rodrygo, while Mastantuono adapts.
The midfield is lacking the controller element. It's full of talent but there is no profile to hold possession on stranglehold and dictate the tempo of the game.
HIGHS
Huijsen is looking like the bargain of the season in Europe. The boy's composure, control and game-reading are next level yet he looks like he will only get better.
Xabi Alonso's identity is sinking in week after week. Last night's match was the first I've watched of Real Madrid applying that much consistent pressure on the opponent in a long while. Gone are the days of calculative predictable attacks! Now, it's all about quick razor-sharp transitions.
Arda Guler has been one of the big beneficiaries of the Alonso era, but there is bound to be headache as Jude Bellingham returns. Xabi Alonso will have some real headache, the kind of headache every coach likes anyway.
Mbappe at the moment is the best centre forward in the world. He's got it all, and it will be surprising if he does not win another European golden boot this season.
Ade Divine