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Features Three takeaways from Real Madrid 4-0 Malaga Real Madrid’s first clean sheet of the new season finally arrived today when the men in white took on newly-promoted Malaga in La Liga and put four goals past them. Manager Jose Mourinho made wholesale changes to his starting lineup, and the new defensive combination surprisingly worked well in tandem to ensure they conceded no goals. At the other end of the field, Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe continued their imperious goalscoring form and helped the team to a 3-0 lead by half-time. The fourth goal eventually arrived in stoppage time as Arda Guler buried a Vinicius Jr. assist. With the win on match day three, Real Madrid continue their perfect record in the new season and move to the top as provisional leaders of the league. Madrid Universal brings you three takeaways from Real Madrid 4-0 Malaga. First signs of rotations Mourinho’s starting lineup in itself served as a massive point of discussion on Sunday afternoon as the manager made wholesale changes to his XI. After sticking to the same combination for the team’s opening two games this season, he churned in rotations across the field, possibly keeping the hectic schedule in mind. For starters, the manager brought in Trent Alexander-Arnold and Marc Cucurella into the lineup for the first time this season, benching both Denzel Dumfries and Alvaro Carreras in the process. That defensive shift was coupled with a change in the central defence as well where Ibrahima Konate was dropped for Antonio Rudiger, handing the German international his first start of the season. In midfield, the manager opted to replace Bernardo Silva with Eduardo Camavinga, and the Frenchman joined Federico Valverde in the double pivot against Malaga. Perhaps the most surprising shift in the XI, however, was on the right-wing where Mourinho dropped Arda Guler and deployed Brahim Diaz instead of the much-hyped Yan Diomande. The lineup, in itself, gives massive clues as to which players the manager rated highly on Real Madrid’s bench, and possibly even indicates a shift in his preferred XI. After all, the performances of the rotated players will be under scrutiny against the performances of the stars who replaced them, effectively making it an audition. The usual duo strike again When Kylian Mbappe arrived at Real Madrid, it was expected that he would become part of world football’s most dangerous attacking duo alongside Vinicius Jr. As the years have passed, however, the Brazilian star’s impact on the game has grown inconsistent and continually reduced, and there is now a strong case that Vinicius is not even the second most important player for Real Madrid. Mbappe and Jude Bellingham have been the team’s best players so far this season and had stunning numbers heading into Matchday 3. On Sunday, they further extended that red-hot streak. Bellingham, in particular, was on fire against Malaga as he ran the show in midfield, constantly got into attacking positions and even opened the scoring with a stunning finish from a tight angle. In fact, even Real Madrid’s second goal which went down as an own goal was one made possible only through the Englishman’s efforts. In 87 minutes, Bellingham racked up a goal, a key pass, completed 95% of his passes, and won six duels for Real Madrid, making it clear that he is still riding high on the high left by the World Cup. Mbappe, meanwhile, used the chance to score his fourth goal of the season and took a staggering six shots on the night, four of which were on target. He had two shots blocked, missed one big chance, and even won six duels against Malaga. At this point, it is clear that Mbappe and Bellingham are Real Madrid’s most important assets, and they keep getting better with every passing game. New full-backs impress The full-back position at Real Madrid has historically been very significant, for the team’s style of play often revolves around the work-rate and attacking flair of the wide defenders. In a counter-attack dominant side, the pace, attacking potency and defensive solidity of the full-backs can make or break the game, and it is clear why Mourinho saw the department as a priority to reinforce in the summer. For the clash on Sunday, Mourinho replaced both his full-backs – Dumfries and Carreras – with big names in Trent and Cucurella. The duo played all 90 minutes, and they did not disappoint. Making his first official start for Real Madrid since his arrival, Cucurella was rock solid on the left flank and he produced seven defensive contributions and won five duels. His passing range and ability to distribute the ball stood out in particular as he completed 90% of his passes in the opposition box and made one key pass. To be defensively rock-solid and still rack up such numbers shows exactly why Mourinho rated the player highly. Trent, meanwhile, had a massive point to prove heading into the game and did so with conviction. Handed the manager’s trust against Malaga, he bossed the passing aspect while also staying defensively resilient. In 90 minutes, the former Liverpool star had a staggering 117 touches of the ball and completed 87 of his 96 attempted passes. He produced three key passes and created one big chance. His effort did not go in vain as he racked up the assist for Mbappe’s lone goal, and it is clear that his performance caught the eye of the management. Defensively, moreover, the Englishman stayed resolute with four defensive contributions, six recoveries and four interceptions. He has thus left his mark, and it remains to be seen if it is enough to push him ahead of Dumfries on the coach’s preference order. Features Three talking points ahead of Real Madrid vs Malaga | La Liga MD 3 Real Madrid’s start to life at the Santiago Bernabeu for the new season could not have gone any better as they destroyed Real Sociedad by a 4-1 scoreline in their first game in front of home fans. Later today, they play their second consecutive clash at home, this time in an earlier kickoff against Malaga. The newly promoted side have had a mixed start to life in the first division, losing to Atletico Madrid on Matchday 1 but salvaging a 1-1 draw against Deportivo de A Coruna in their subsequent game. Needless to say, however, Real Madrid pose their biggest challenge yet, and it is safe to say that Jose Mourinho’s men will be the overwhelming favourites coming into the game. Madrid Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Real Madrid vs Malaga. A start for Cucurella Marc Cucurella’s announcement as a new Real Madrid player just before Spain’s curtain-raiser at the FIFA World Cup came as a surprise to many, and the player’s performances at the event made him a hugely hyped arrival. Taking to the field for La Roja, the left-back was consistently one of the best players on the field for his nation and finished the tournament as a pillar of Luis de La Fuente’s side. Arriving at Real Madrid off the back of such a stellar event, needless to say, made it clear that he would be the undisputed starter at left-back under Jose Mourinho. The first two games of the season, however, have not followed suit as the manager has preferred Alvaro Carreras over Cucurella. While that might suggest that the manager rates the former more than the World Cup winner, it is more likely that he was gradually phasing the new signing in considering how he returned late to pre-season. Now heading into the third game of the campaign, it is high time Cucurella enters the starting lineup, with the manager confirming that to be the case during his press conference. So far, the new signing has been solid in all his appearances and has left a good impression, arriving at a new club. It will be interesting to see how he fares on his first start for Real Madrid. Lessons to be carried forward One of the biggest takeaways from Real Madrid’s win over Real Sociedad midweek was how the men in white turned their situation completely around in the second half. While they were in the driving seat throughout, the first half saw a far more balanced game with even the visitors creating their fair share of chances. After the break, however, it was one-way traffic as Real Madrid dominated, created chances and even finished them with conviction. What changed was the combination play and improved understanding between the big three up front. Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Jr. have all started the new season strongly, with the Frenchman and Englishman particularly looking in imperious form. What has been lacking, however, is the understanding between the trio and the acceptance to play for the team and not individual accolades. In the second half against La Real, Real Madrid finally played with a sense of long-lost selflessness and the trio began combining wonderfully. The buildup flowed without any hindrance and the result followed suit. Later today, the effort must remain the same. If Real Madrid can continue operating on the same bandwidth and maintain that consistency, there will simply be no stopping them. Improvement needed in defence While Real Madrid may well have won both their games so far in La Liga, there is a clear sense that certain departments must improve. One department that Jose Mourinho has marked in red, on that front, is the defence where Los Blancos have continued to look relatively shaky. In both of the team’s games so far, Real Madrid have failed to maintain a clean sheet and the defence has been sliced open quite easily. Surprisingly, they conceded shortly after taking the lead on both nights. The lapses in concentration, needless to say, are simply not acceptable, more so in a team led by Mourinho where the defence is the heart of the team’s success. Ibrahima Konate and Dean Huijsen have been the manager’s preferred centre-halves so far this season, and all signs point to them continuing in that position. However, every game at this point is a test where they must show conspicuous improvement. Concurrently, there will be more emphasis on improving the overall defensive output and working as a collective unit on that front. That too will remain a point of focus as the men in white grace the field for the third time in the new season. Keeping a clean sheet, needless to say, will be an unsaid objective for the team as a whole, with special emphasis on the double-pivot and defence.