Real Madrid beat Espanyol 2-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday afternoon. Goals from Eder Militao and Kylian Mbappe sealed the deal for Los Blancos, who continued their perfect run this season with their sixth win in a row.
Here are three quick observations from the game:
Eder Militao, floor raiser
Real Madrid have played six games this season, and two-time ACL injury-returnee Eder Militao has started five of them. By the looks of things, he is set to start the next batch of them, especially now with Antonio Rudiger out for three months.
If, and this is a big if, he is able to stay fit throughout the season, he would solve issues that have been deeply rooted within Real Madrid for the last few years.
Real Madrid have had problems dealing with headers and crosses for a while now, both of which are Militao’s bread and butter. He thrives in those situations. Air Militao, as they call him sometimes, will have no trouble dealing with that aspect of this team’s problems. The Brazilian has already looked great so far, and it seems like if he is able to stay fit, he solves these issues alongside new signing Dean Huijsen.
He is also versatile enough to play on either side. Against Mallorca, he was Real Madrid’s right central defender. Against Espanyol, he started on the left side, comfortably dealing with Espanyol’s attempt at pressing him with long-range passes that sometimes worked, sometimes acted as an excuse for Real Madrid to win possession further up in the field.
Militao has formed a brilliant partnership with Huijsen so far. It seems more natural and fitting than Huijsen’s partnership did with Rudiger.
His long-range stunner would have been a huge confidence booster, and his general performance — 117 touches, three blocks, one clearance, two tackles, one aerial — those are brilliant numbers, and it showed that Militao can handle the build-up play side of things just fine, especially when Huijsen is not around.
Alvaro Carreras looks like a bargain
Real Madrid have struck gold with Alvaro Carreras. You can say that twice.
All of their new signings have potential to be era-defining. Some have already started off that way, and others will inevitably follow suit.
Carreras certainly belongs in that category. He has started his Real Madrid career with such tenacity and grace that it is hard to remember a time when Real Madrid did not have a left-back like him.
In reality, though, that time was just a few games ago. Fran Garcia has potential, and he is a solid backup option on this team. However, Real Madrid’s left-back struggles in the last few seasons have been well-documented. Injury problems, or a lack of offensive output with Ferland Mendy, or Fran’s inconsistency, Real Madrid kept struggling with that position.
Since Carreras has joined, it feels a lot calmer on that left side. It seems like things are under control. It seems the basics are finally being done right. It is refreshing, and, frankly, absurdly impressive to see just how good Carreras has been.
Against Espanyol, he helped a lot with his press resistance. His 1v1 defending has already improved, and going forward, he helps the left-winger, whoever it is, a lot more than any other left-back has since Marcelo left his prime.
Fran was only ever good in spurts, and this Carreras era seems like something that can and should stay for years to come.
Real Madrid’s intent is clear to see
It seems like every single point in this article is about raising the floor. Eder Militao, raising the floor in central defense. Alvaro Carreras, doing the same on the left. Xabi Alonso, too, is raising Real Madrid’s floor.
The team has looked different. They have not been tested loads, at least in terms of playing against big teams — that will happen soon — but they have been through adversities. They have seen multiple red cards already this season. They have played against tight low blocks that do not offer much in terms of creativity.
Real Madrid have looked better at dealing with said adversities and tough situations than they did last season. They have finally started moving the ball with intent. The ball does not go from A to B just by sheer vibes anymore. There is finally a system, and that same system helps them in retaining possession quicker than they used to.
It has been fun to watch at times. Sometimes, it is not fun, but in both of these situations, Real Madrid have managed to get the job done. There are things to improve on, such as scoring more goals than they have, but the ideas are slowly taking shape on the pitch. It has been good.
Real Madrid keep the ball for long, and whenever they do lose it, you can probably count to 10 and they would have won it right back. Those are the little things that did not exist last season. It is a good change.
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