He Real Madrid of Alvaro Arbeloa has begun to emit signs of a transformation, that the hand of the new coach is already being felt despite the short time he has been in charge. They are small tactical changes (such as the role of the full-backs), names (lpresence of Güler and Mastantuono in the starting team)but mainly, what has led the team to beat Monaco and win at Villarreal has been a profound change in the attitude of the footballers. He wouldn’t answer (he almost never answered when he sat down before the press), but it would be good to ask Xabi Alonso what he thinks of the attitude of some of the footballers who were under his command. The victory of Real Madrid in The Ceramics in front of Villarreal in LaLiga It is worth double: it added three points and served, in the face of a serious test of truth, as the first great style manual of what this team intends to be.
A rival without a finish
If the win against Monaco masked a defensive fragility that is common this season (Real Madrid received up to 20 shots) The performance in Villarreal showed a block that has understood that collective sacrifice is the path to success. Now it has to last over time.
He Real Madrid only granted eight shots and only one of them found Courtois’ goal. The most revealing fact of the white defensive rigor lies in the first half, where the Villarreal He went to rest without Courtois I had a job.
A plan for height and speed
The plan of the blackboard begins to be visible: a Real Madrid who plays higher up, who bites close to the opponent’s area and, above all, uses the recovery as the first goal pass. You have to run, because their forwards are for running: «I can’t go against the nature of the players. Quite the opposite. I have to try to take advantage of it. We have many players who are very dominant in space and fast, who also tend to decide well,” the coach explained after the game.
«When we can run we are going to do it because it is nature and because they make a difference. It will be one of our weapons throughout the season”said the coach.
Shared effort
Backlash and high pressure They depend on the eleven players agreeing to work when the opponent has the ball. At La Cerámica, Madrid defended as a supportive and, above all, constant team. He very rarely sank in his area. “I think the most important thing is that, When we don’t have the ball, the eleven players are ready to help and to run for each other. This benefits us when attacking, we feel more relaxed and have more space,” he said. Fede Valverdewon for the cause from the right wing. “We feel comfortable when we don’t have the ball and also when we have it,” he explained.
Thibaut Courtois He is the privileged witness from the goal of the change in defensive attitude. He has a better perspective than anyone to tell what has changed: “As a team, together, we are all improving. That union is important because football is a team sport, not an individual one, and for some to stand out it is important for the team to stand out together.
This Wednesday, the Arbeloa’s Real Madrid appears before him Mourinho’s Benficawho the other day, between the lines, seemed to criticize his former footballer. «We have a lot to improve in all aspects, starting from this great solidity and from this great work of all the players. “This team is going from strength to strength and I don’t think this is its ceiling,” said the coach, who is quickly gaining experience.
