Jose Mourinho, Real Madrid manager
Photo by Jose Manuel Alvarez Rey/Getty Images
Just over a week remains for Real Madrid’s first official game of the new season and they will take on Espanyol in their La Liga curtain-raiser.
Ahead of that big clash, however, the club do have one final pre-season friendly scheduled for tomorrow evening, and it will be against FC Schalke.
The past week has been a critical one for Jose Mourinho and Co. as they finally welcomed back the World Cup heroes and completed their squad for the new season.
With Real Madrid’s transfer window also likely done, the manager now has a full-strength dressing room at his disposal and the game against Schalke will be the first of a new era in that sense.
Madrid Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Schalke vs Real Madrid.
The big names return
Real Madrid’s pre-season campaign so far has revolved around academy players, non-internationals and internationals who returned home early after suffering heartbreak at the FIFA World Cup.
Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe of Real Madrid
The big guns are back. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
While some names like Federico Valverde, Arda Guler and Denzel Dumfries have been available from relatively early in Mourinho’s dynamics, the bulk of the team’s core arrived much later.
Vinicius Jr. and Endrick returned for Real Madrid’s latest friendlies, but other big names including Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham have come back only in recent days.
The duo who made it to the World Cup semifinals returned to training earlier this week, and are in the squad for Real Madrid’s clash against Schalke tomorrow.
All signs point to Mbappe playing some part in Gelsenkirchen in what comes as a massive boost for Mourinho’s plans. After all, the Frenchman is the centrepiece in attack and the team is, quite clearly, built around him.
Also expected to feature is Bellingham. Despite uncertainty over his participation in recent days, word has it that the player is in top physical condition and will indeed be able to slot back in as a starting midfield option for Mourinho.
A debut for Diomande
Yan Diomande arrived in Madrid as a new signing ahead of Real Madrid’s friendly against Ferencvaros, but did not make it to the squad for that clash owing to a lack of match fitness. He was also not called up for the subsequent game vs Deportivo La Coruna.
Yan Diomande of Real Madrid
Diomande set for his debut. (Photo courtesy: Real Madrid official website)
In under a week, however, the player has returned to speed and is now seen to be prepared to put on a Real Madrid shirt for the first time in a game. Needless to say, it will be a momentous occasion.
Diomande’s big-money move this summer made him Real Madrid’s most expensive signing in history, and such a price tag undoubtedly arrives with a certain scale of expectations and a lot of pressure.
The young winger is already said to be impressing in training, and all signs point to him starting against Schalke in the club’s final pre-season friendly. Needless to say, he will be eager to showcase some of his talent before the high-stakes games arrive.
More importantly, it will be interesting to see Diomande’s chemistry with the likes of Mbappe, Bellingham and others, for that could well dictate how the player’s first season at the club will progress.
Real Madrid’s summer transfer window largely revolved around defensive signings, and it has been clear from day one that Jose Mourinho’s focus was on the backline.
The club went all-out in making signings for the defence, bringing in Ibrahima Konate, Denzel Dumfries and Marc Cucurella to Valdebebas in a matter of weeks.
Ibrahima Konate and Marc Cucurella, Real Madrid player
In line for Real Madrid debuts? (Picture credit: X/@realmadrid)
So far, only the Dutch star has made his debut for Real Madrid and has already impressed with his quality and defensive resilience. Konate and Cucurella, however, are yet to make their debuts.
Having returned to the club’s pre-season camp earlier this week, both stars have been called up for the friendly tomorrow and are very likely to receive their debuts in the team’s final pre-season clash.
It will thus be a momentous occasion for both Konate and Cucurella. The former will look to convince the manager of his quality and stake a claim for a starting spot while the latter will look to prove why he is a deserved World Champion and starter for Real Madrid.
At some point in the game, it is very likely that Dumfries, Konate and Cucurella share the field at the back and that Real Madrid see an almost completely new defensive line fielded under the new manager.
Yan Diomande, Ivory Coast and RB Leipzig player
Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images
Agreement or no agreement. That is the current question and situation of Yan Diomande’s relatively sudden transfer saga to Real Madrid.
Los Blancos entered the race for the Bundesliga star only 48 hours ago, and have already entered pole position in the negotiations. While some outlets deem the deal already complete, others refute the update and insist it is still some time away.
In any case, what is clear is that Real Madrid are pushing hard for the 19-year-old World Cup prodigy who racked up 12 goals and eight assists for his club in last season’s Bundesliga.
There are several schools of thought over the sudden pursuit of the Ivory Coast international. Some claim he is the replacement target after Real Madrid’s failed pursuit of Michael Olise while others claim he is Vinicius Jr.’s replacement at the club.
Whatever the deep intent, it is clear that Jose Mourinho values the 19-year-old star’s profile and sees a serious attacking boost with his arrival. Madrid Universal brings you three reasons Real Madrid are pushing for the teenage sensation.
Real Madrid have tried multiple options on the right-wing in recent years. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
The asymmetry in Real Madrid’s attack in recent seasons has been conspicuous with most of the team’s attacking displays building up heavily on the left-flank. After all, both Vinicius Jr. and Kylian Mbappe prefer that half of the field.
Brahim Diaz, Rodrygo and Franco Mastantuono have all been tried on the right flank to provide balance, but none have succeeded and Diomande arrives as a direct solution for that void.
With the Ivory Coast international, Real Madrid can finally hope to have a fundamental solution to the right-wing which has plagued the squad for far too long. As a natural, elite winger who brings pace and trickery, he will be a handful for opposition defences.
Holding his width and authority on the flank, his explosive acceleration and one-on-one bravery make him a strong option to beat full-backs. He can cut inside onto his favoured foot or retain width and provide well-aimed crosses.
In any case, the addition will provide Real Madrid with a lethal attacking outlet on the right – one that can solve the fundamental asymmetry and make the team threatening from all sides.
The Vinicius factor
Vinicius Junior of Brazil
Is Diomande Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr. replacement? (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
It is well known at this point that Vinicius Jr. and Real Madrid are at a standoff on contract renewal talks and that matters have not taken a serious step forward in months.
Both parties refuse to compromise, leaving a situation where either the player must leave this summer or accept the salary Los Blancos are offering.
The priority for both the player and the club is to continue working together, but if the situation persists after Vinicius returns from his vacation, a departure is not impossible. After all, Arsenal are pushing hard to sign the player.
In case the Brazilian talisman leaves, Diomande may well have to take up the role Vinicius has played for Real Madrid over the years.
It will indeed be a gamble to leave the responsibility of filling the superstar’s shoes in the hands of a teenager, but Diomande is one of the few wingers in world football who has the talent to shoulder that responsibility.
Diomande predominantly plays on the right flank but is equally capable of playing on the left, giving Jose Mourinho tactical freedom to improvise his attack.
There is even the possibility that Mbappe moves to the left and Diomande to the right with a killer centre-forward to complement them.
By securing Diomande’s signing, Real Madrid are bringing to their ranks a player capable of operating across the front line and flourishing under pressure, making them as prepared as they can get for a potential Vinicius departure.
A more suited partner to Kylian Mbappe
Kylian Mbappe, France and Real Madrid player
Diomande could be the partner-in-crime Mbappe needs. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Michael Olise was a prime target for Real Madrid because of his synergy with Kylian Mbappe, and Real Madrid hope that Diomande can do the same playing on the right wing.
It is, however, more than just hope that Los Blancos carry. After all, the profile the RB Leipzig star brings to the table sets him up to be the perfect match.
Real Madrid’s French hero thrives on drifting into central half-spaces and running onto line-breaking passes, but the club currently lacks players who create game situations that are heavy on them.
Teammates who can draw defenders away like the potential new signing, who can introduce chaos in the box and reduce the central defensive overload can improve Mbappe’s output directly.
Diomande’s aggressive and high-speed runs in the final third threaten to do exactly that, and his ability to drag central defenders out wide can enable Mbappe to exploit the spaces in front of goal.
Further, the potential new signing also has exceptional final-third vision and can deliver low crosses, cutbacks and even through balls that few other players in the current squad can.