Real Madrid played their first preseason match in a closed-door friendly against Leganés, with no cameras and little information beyond Xabi Alonso’s starting eleven. It was just a first test, but there were surprises in a match where the Whites started losing and ended up winning by a landslide.
Real Madrid and their first test of the season
Real Madrid played a friendly match against Leganés behind closed doors. It could be considered more of a training match, but it was against an opponent and not against teammates. But it was a match nonetheless, where little else is known apart from the result, which was 4-1 in favor of the Whites after they started losing.
The match was not televised, not even Real Madrid TV offered the first glimpse of the white team this season, although more details may emerge throughout the day.
Xabi Alonso’s first eleven
Xabi Alonso‘s first eleven held many surprises, as there were no regular starters missing, but there were other new additions that caught the eye in this first outing.
To begin with, Real Madrid captain Dani Carvajal started the game, when everything seems to indicate that Trent Alexander-Arnold has the advantage at the start of the season. Huijsen‘s partner in defense was Asencio, who seemed destined for the bench after his poor performance in the Club World Cup. In addition, Carreras made his debut in the white shirt.
Güler, substitute
It seems that Güler will be Real Madrid’s playmaker for this season, but in this first game, Xabi Alonso opted for Ceballos in the starting eleven, accompanying Valverde in midfield. And Bellingham’s first substitute was Brahim, who hopes to play a more important role this season.
Back to 4-3-3, with Gonzalo in the starting line-up
One of the novelties of this first game was that Xabi Alonso returned to the 4-3-3 formation, with Gonzalo in the starting line-up, as was the case in the Club World Cup, accompanied by Vinicius and Mbappé. There are many doubts as to whether or not he will continue to bet on the youth player in the starting eleven for the start of the league, but since the coach arrived at Real Madrid in July, Gonzalo has been a starter in every single game the team has played, so what is clear is that he wants the forward to be an important player.
This was Real Madrid’s starting eleven against Leganés in the Whites’ first preseason game of the season.
- Goalkeeper: Courtois.
- Defenders: Carvajal, Asencio, Huijsen, Carreras.
- Midfielders: Valverde, Ceballos, Brahim.
- Forwards: Vinicius, Gonzalo, Mbappé.
It is only the first game of the season, and it cannot even be classified as a friendly match, but rather as a training match against Leganés. The presence of some players in this first eleven is surprising, but Xabi Alonso has already said that he will change things this season, and surprises can come from anywhere.
For now, Real Madrid has started with a victory, winning 4-1 after falling behind early, but little else is known about a match that marks the start of the new season for the Whites.