Without having yet reached mid-August, Madrid and Athletic met at San Mamés to kick off the season in a game with the very green teams. The match turned out to be an exercise of authority of the madridistaswho opted for reliability instead of seeking excellence. A bet that he found rewarded with an impeccable performance in defense and promising in attack, especially from a Bellingham who left several quality details. A victory with bad news for the whites, Militao’s knee injury (yet to confirm his extent) hours after Courtois’s.
Real Madrid started the season with Ancelotti covering up his embarrassment. The explicit ones, the defensive gaps that have exposed a disturbing fragility this summer. And the implicit ones, adjusting an offensive production in which the increase in opportunities this preseason has been inversely proportional to the effectiveness against the goal. The Italian tried to balance both things with a drawing that has been naturalized with the passing of the friendlies towards a 4-3-1-2 in which the trivote shields the area while Bellingham flutters behind the backs of Vinicius and Rodrygo to partner with the Brazilians and shine their might on arrival.
Ancelotti bets on the twenty-somethings
In San Mames Carletto lined up a sweaty midfield and a dynamic attack betting on the twenty-somethings: Camavinga (20), Tchouameni (23), Valverde (25), Belingham (20), Vinicius (23) and Rodrygo (22). In attack the trivote mutated into a 4-2-3-1 with Valverde on the right and Vini on the left, the Englishman floating between the lines and Rodrygo ‘benzemized’ at the fore. I faced a classic Athletic, fierce in the dispute, direct in the display and always spurred on by the stands of La Catedral. Valverde wore his best clothes with the Williams sharpening the attacks and Muniain playing Modric.
With the pieces well planted in the heart of the board, the lanes became trenches. The Lions were looking for direct play in the corridor between full-backs and center-backs, the madridistas opened the field with the rises of Carvajal and Fran García. Unai Gómez was noticed in the minutes of scoring with Ruiz de Garraleta polishing every ball that came to him. The game, in addition to being played at full gallop, was typical of preseason with inaccuracies, many duels and a roar that prevailed over brilliance.
Ancelotti’s initial purpose, to protect himself from Athletic’s direct play, was more than fulfilled. And in the 26th minute a rise by Carvajal ended with a lost ball in the area that Rodrygo screwed to the stump of Unai Simón, who neglected his stick. The game was where Carletto wanted. Advantage on the scoreboard and a defensively robust team waiting for Athletic to take risks to punish them in spaces with Vinicius, Bellingham and Rodrygo. The goal required Valverde’s men to do something more than direct play.
And the occasions began to drip. He was able to mark Alaba with a shot that Unai supported on the post. And even clearer was a chance for Vinicius after leaving De Marcos and Vivian, but this time Unai was right. on the next play Bellingham He finished off a corner to the net alone at the far post. Debut and goal. Madrid was a demolition machine, penalizing each rival’s mistake.
Militao’s injury
During the break Valverde changed the plan, revolutionizing the eleven and the way of attacking with Sancet, Guruzeta and Berenguer replacing Unai Gómez, Muniain and Nico Williams. Athletic began to attack by occupation instead of by invasion. And all in a resumption that once again shrank the heart of Real Madrid when Military he left the field crying after losing his footing in a play and seeing how his knee caught on the grass. Days after Cortuois’ serious injury, the ghost of the crusader reappeared.
The landscape of the game changed, but not the feeling. Resigned by the score, Athletic took risks and turned San Mamés towards the Lunin goal, even knowing that this would leave more space for Madrid’s counters. Everything was one goal away. If it was local, it would put the lions fully into the clash, if it was white, it would definitively seal the triumph of Ancelotti’s men. The comings and goings accelerated the passing of the minutes and entertained the spectators, who appreciated the delivery of theirs.
Carletto asked his people for a head and made use of his field marshals, Kroos and Modric, to lower the pulsations of the match. Once again, and there are eleven in a row, Ancelotti won the first season of the league, including six as coach of Real Madrid. A game in the middle of August, with the teams still in the preseason, in which the Italian opted for an intelligent approach, minimizing risks with a lot of physicality in midfield. Above it was confirmed that Madrid generates and Bilbao looked stuck. The most sober Madrid of this 2023-24, that of Ancelotti’s children, wore it in San Mamés.
Datasheet:
0 – Athletic Club: Unai Simón; De Marcos, Vivian, Paredes, Lekue (Imanol, m.71); Vesga (Herrera, m.64), Galarreta; Nico Williams (Bereneguer, m.46), Unai Gómez (Sancet, m.46), Muniain (Cruzeta, m.46); and Iñaki Williams.
2 – Real Madrid: Monday; Carvajal, Militao (Rudiger, m.50), Praise, Fran Garcia; Tchouameni, Valverde, Camavinga (Cross, m.71), Bellingham; Vinicius (Modric, m.80) and Rodrigo (Joselu, m.80).
Goals: 0-1, M.28: Rodrygo. 0-2, m.36: Bellingham.
Referee: Jesús Gil Manzano (Extremadura Committee). He showed a yellow card to the locals Muniain (m.4) and Galarreta (m.66) Iñaki Williams (m.87) and the visitor Alaba (m.76).
Incidences: Match of the first day of LaLiga EA Sports played in San Mamés in front of 48,927 spectators. official data.
2023-08-12 21:33:00
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