Real Madrid beat Leganes 3-0 on Sunday to take further advantage of Barcelona’s run of one point from their last two matches.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side continued in the positive vein that began in the victory against Osasuna before the international break and were once again reliable in both defence and attack.
Kylian Mbappé put his side ahead in the 43rd minute after a great pass from Vinicius Junior. Federico Valverde made it 2-0 in the 56th minute before Jude Bellingham wrapped up the scoring in the 88th minute.
“It was a good game from start to finish, solid, focused. Vinicius did very well inside. The team controlled the game very well,” satisfied Carlo Ancelotti said at the post-match press conference.
As it stands, Madrid have 26 points and are second in the standings, only four points behind Hansi Flick’s leaders. They have begun to move away from the significant doubts generated by consecutive defeats to Barcelona and AC Milan.
Here The Athletic analyses the game’s key points: from the improvement of Mbappé and Bellingham, to Valverde’s ‘new’ position and how the team is shaping up ahead of the big midweek Champions League visit to Liverpool.
Kylian Mbappe continues to improve
For the first time this season, the 25-year-old French striker played on the left wing from the start of the game — switching roles with Vinicius.
“(Mbappe) has more experience playing outside than inside. Vinicius arrived on Thursday (from his international commitments with Brazil) and he was fresher than Vinicius,” Ancelotti explained afterwards.
The decision came after Mbappe had trained for two solid weeks at Valdebebas, after not being called up by France manager Didier Deschamps.
During that time, there was a clear aim at Madrid for those training sessions to help the No.9 regain his fitness.
Within the coaching staff, it is thought that the last few years at Paris Saint-Germain have not benefited the pace of the player, something they feel can be addressed.
Against Leganes and playing on the left Mbappe looked more comfortable. Barely four minutes into the game, he had his first chance but missed the target with a shot that went too softly into Marko Dmitrovic’s hands.
A few minutes later, the Frenchman was flagged offside in another move that could have led to a goal.
For his part, Vinicius looked good operating as a centre forward for the first time this season, continually looked to combine with Mbappe, who eventually scored before the end of the first half.
After the break, the Brazilian striker once again played another key pass for Mbappe on a counter-attack, but once again the Frenchman was denied by Dmitrovic.
“I have a very good relationship with Vinicius, he’s a great player. I have a great relationship and with all the players, the best are here, I’ve always said that,” Mbappe told the club’s official TV channel after the game.
Although he is not yet at his absolute best, Madrid’s star signing has already scored nine goals this season and continues to improve.
As for whether he will continue to play on the left, Madrid’s coaching staff believe that the decision has to be made for each specific opponent, so they do not guarantee that it will be a permanent switch.
With Vinicius operating at such a good level, it will be difficult for Mbappe to take his place on the left wing so it is more likely that they will rotate during games, as Ancelotti himself has explained many times publicly.
How did Valverde adapt to his new role?
With Dani Carvajal and Lucas Vazquez out injured, Ancelotti has run out of senior right-backs.
The club have been monitoring a number of players from the Academy, including the promising 17-year-old Jesus Fortea, but it is felt that they need to be patient.
So, like Aurelien Tchouameni deputising at centre-back or Eduardo Camavinga at left-back, midfielder Federico Valverde was chosen to fill the gap.
In the second half against Osasuna, following Lucas’ departure through injury, Valverde was moved into defence. Against Leganes the Uruguayan not only started there but was one of the game’s outstanding players. He handled himself well defensively but also led the game in total progressive passes (8) and was second in involvement in offensive sequences (6). To all this he added a great indirect free-kick goal in the second half that cemented Madrid’s victory.
It was an action identical to his goal against Real Valladolid a few weeks earlier and had the same common element: Ancelotti.
For months now, the Italian coach has considered it a ‘must’ — as coaching staff sources describe it — to train this move, which consists of taking a free kick with a touch before shooting.
“Valverde is a fantastic full-back, I think that after Carvajal and Lucas Vázquez he is the best full-back in the world. Valverde’s problem is that he can play in many positions on the pitch and the coach’s problem is to choose which one is his best,” Ancelotti said of the Uruguayan.
It was certainly a special game for Valverde, who wore the captain’s armband for Real Madrid for the first time.
Jude Bellingham is scoring goals again
Despite a difficult start to the season with a muscle injury that saw him miss four games for Madrid and two for England, Bellingham is also getting back to his best.
The midfielder was key to the flow of the game against Leganes with an 88 per cent passing success rate (from 56 passes in total), but above all for his efficiency with four long balls and a key pass.
With the score still 0-0, Bellingham waited for a mistake in Leganes’ distribution, stole the ball and gave it to Vinicius to set up Mbappe for the opener.
The 21-year-old looked as comfortable as he did for much of last season and even completed four dribbles.
After not scoring a goal all season, Bellingham has scored in his last two games, so what has changed?
Firstly, he is back playing in a position similar to the one he did so well in last season, a left-sided attacking midfielder.
Previously this season he had been required to play further back and with a lot of defensive demands.
But against Leganes Madrid’s defensive midfielders were Dani Ceballos and Eduardo Camavinga, who took some of the work off Madrid’s No 5.
By continuing to play with just two pure forwards, Bellingham will continue to have more freedom in attack and will be able to continue to increase his attacking stats. So far, the signs look good.
How are Madrid shaping up for the visit to Liverpool?
Before finalising his line-up for the game at Anfield, Ancelotti is still waiting on news about two names: Lucas Vazquez and Aurelien Tchouameni.
On one hand, Lucas’s injury to his left hamstring was not as serious as suspected, so he could make the squad.
On the other, Tchouameni’s recovery from his sprained ankle is progressing but there are doubts from his camp that he will make it.
Given the demands of the game, it is difficult to believe that both will be available to play from the start.
If they don’t make it to full fitness, Ancelotti is expected to use Antonio Rudiger and the home-grown Raul Asencio in central defence.
At left-back there will be a switch, with Ferland Mendy set to play in place of Fran Garcia. This was something Ancelotti openly acknowledged, saying ‘These are technical decisions and nothing more. At the moment Fran is playing very well, but Mendy is very important for Wednesday’s game.”
In midfield the puzzle is more complex because it depends on whether Valverde continues at right-back. If so, Modric is the most likely to partner Camavinga as a defensive midfielder.
Bellingham, Mbappe and Vinicius will once again play in the attacking positions and the only doubt is who will play alongside them — especially after Arda Guler’s strong performance against Leganes.
However, the fact that Brahim was rested for most of the game and barely played a quarter of an hour suggests he will get the nod. The decision is also influenced by the fact that Brahim has more defensive impact than Guler, which may prove important against the Premier League leaders.
(Header photo: Guillermo Martinez/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
