Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images
The starting lineup Jose Mourinho picked for his team’s game against Espanyol may not be the manager’s Gala lineup, but it certainly names eleven players who have his backing and have impressed.
There will undoubtedly be rotations and changes to the dynamic as the season progresses, but the players who featured on match day 2 will likely see some continuity under Mourinho in the coming weeks.
On the night, the coach opted to deploy Dean Huijsen and Ibrahima Konate as his two centre-backs, in what did come as a surprising development.
After all, Antonio Rudiger had trained more than Konate and the manager’s selection may well be indicative of his pecking order.
One assured starter
As confirmed by Diario AS in a recent update, Huijsen currently appears to be the player who has a fixed starting spot in central defence.
Ibrahima Konate, France and Real Madrid player
Konate is not a guaranteed starter yet. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
He has been at a good level in recent games and all signs point to him retaining that spot at least until Eder Militao recovers.
The battle for the second centre-back place, meanwhile, is between Rudiger and Konate and neither is definitely ahead of the other as matters stand.
Mourinho’s decision to start Konate at the weekend does not indicate that he is guaranteed anything. Notably, however, Rudiger was not even called off the bench against Espanyol.
Will Real Madrid push for another signing?
While Real Madrid have significantly boosted their squad already this summer, there has been talk of up to two more signings – one of which is a central defensive recruit.
Raul Asencio, Real Madrid player
Asencio’s departure can unlock the arrival of a new defender. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)
The club have eyed several players in recent times, including Aymeric Laporte, Alessandro Bastoni and Nico Schlotterbeck, and an operation is not completely ruled out. It will, however, depend completely on sales.
At this point, Raul Asencio is seen as deadwood at the club, and Real Madrid are looking to sell him and make a new defensive signing.
The player, however, has been resisting a departure and still insists on impressing the manager.
Real Madrid’s potential centre-back signing, thus, completely depends on Asencio’s decision and the manager will hope to bring the best out of his existing resources, including Konate and Rudiger, until then.
Ibrahima Konate, Real Madrid player
Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images
Real Madrid’s first league game of the new season was not a disaster, but it left a feeling that a lot must improve for the team to be competitive once again.
Three new signings started against Espanyol – Denzel Dumfries, Bernardo Silva and Ibrahima Konate – and all three left very different impressions.
Dumfries was solid at right-back and did enough to warrant another start, while Bernardo was disappointing throughout the game and never looked in his element.
Konate, however, had a mixed night and left the field with bittersweet feelings, as furthered by Diario AS.
The positive takeaways
Ibrahima Konate, Real Madrid player
Ibrahima Konate had a mixed outing vs Espanyol. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
On an individual level, Konate’s performance was encouraging as he showed good defensive actions, understanding and the timing of his challenges was perfect.
The player won duels with ease and showed his leadership on the field, and the numbers speak volumes.
Konate was the Real Madrid player with the most touches of the ball, completed 97% of his passes and won eight of a possible 11 duels against Espanyol.
Further, he racked up nine defensive contributions and had a staggering five clearances.
A lot to improve
Ibrahima Konate, Real Madrid player
Konate made his competitive debut for Real Madrid. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
As good as the Frenchman’s performance was, however, it left a feeling that there is still much scope for improvement. After all, the player slowly faded out as the game progressed.
For starters, the player was poorly positioned for Espanyol’s goal and was not marking any attacker at the time.
Further, the player was doubtful about when to drive forward and when to circulate the ball sideways, showing that his decision-making must still improve.
There were times in the game where Konate was overconfident and lost the ball, and his performance thus did not make for a perfect debut. It remains to be seen if he holds on to his starting spot for the team’s next game this week.