Still lacking automatisms, Real Madrid achieved their first victory of the season on Sunday against newly promoted Valladolid (3-0) at the Santiago Bernabeu, where French superstar Kylian Mbappe was unable to shine in his debut at the Madrid stadium.
Without English prodigy Jude Bellingham, out injured for several weeks, the reigning League and European champions relied on the striking power of their Uruguayan midfielder Federico Valverde, who found a gap through a free kick in the 50th minute, and the talent of their substitutes Brahim Diaz (88) and the young Brazilian Endrick (90+6) in the final stretch of the match.
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“It was very difficult, especially at the beginning. We couldn’t function as the coach wanted. We lacked attitude in attack and were very passive. In the second half we developed a lot,” said Valverde.
“I am very happy to support the team with goals, but the important thing is the defensive work, which I am proud of and in which I have to get more engagement,” he added.
First victory in the League
The white team generated little football in the first half but did enough in the second half to win the match and thus obtain their first victory of the season.
“We were very slow in the first half, the opposite of the second when we were much more active, there was more movement and the ball rolled much faster,” said coach Carlo Ancelotti in a press conference.
One of Ancelotti’s new additions was the introduction of young Turkish player Arda Guler for the injured Bellingham.
On the other hand, Mbappe missed a golden opportunity after a pass from Vinicius, but Estonian goalkeeper Karl Hein saved the situation.
The Frenchman had another chance on a counter-attack but sent it wide before being replaced by 18-year-old Brazilian striker Endrick.
The star new to Madrid has yet to score in the league for the Whites after two games, while Ancelotti is working on perfecting the system to get the best out of his forwards.
The coach assured that Mbappe’s position on the pitch is not in doubt. “He is a good striker and very fast. He moves very well without the ball, he attacks the back, and he has had 3 or 4 opportunities. He will score in that position, as he has always scored. I don’t think he needs to play on the left, he will score goals in the center,” Ancelotti said.
After a draw that was not enough in the visit to Mallorca (1-1) last week in the league opener, Kylian Mbappe experienced a frustrating baptism in his new team, where he arrived free of contract after finishing his time at PSG.
Valladolid kept Madrid in the game, as they weren’t giving them any chances. It wasn’t until the 88th minute that Brahim scored the second goal of the match and after several failed attempts by Mbappe, Endrik came on and scored his first goal in front of his home fans.
The young Brazilian scored with a right-footed shot in stoppage time, which was enough to seal the thrashing.
You could say that a win is a win, that there are three points, but the reality is that Madrid looked uncomfortable at least for the first hour of play.
Arda Guler, who took over the role of managing the team in Bellingham’s position, is still far from his Euro level. The 19-year-old Turk is asking to be taken into account. He needs to win Carlo Ancelotti’s election and his time is at least a month away. During the period that the English star is out, Guler must show a better performance than the one he showed on Sunday at the Chamartin theatre.
