Elche 2–3 Real Madrid, and you did it without a good second half
Three points away and a 2nd-place table with 15 points from six games. Fine. But you already know the shape of that game, because you have seen it four times now.
Across the last four matches, counting only the second half, Real Madrid have not won once: three losses, one draw, five goals conceded, two scored (4). Against Elche it was the same story. So the stat is not a warning sign anymore, it is a pattern.
You go to Atlético Madrid on Sunday, September 20 at 16:15 CEST. That is where this gets tested for real.
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Mbappé wants the Ballon d'Or back at Real Madrid
Kylian Mbappé said it out loud in a long interview with As: he wants to be one of the players who brings the Ballon d'Or back to the club (1) (3).
He also talked about finding more peace since he arrived, and said playing for Real Madrid is essential for anyone who wants a place in football history (8).
Mbappé on Mourinho: "One of the smartest people I have met"
Mourinho gets the big line. "He is one of the smartest people I have ever met. He is a leader," Mbappé said (1) (9).
He also opened up on his chemistry with Vini Jr. and Jude Bellingham, and on Güler (1) (2). No friction, no hints about tension. Just the attacking pieces around him, described from the inside.
Vini Jr. is losing ground, and the press has noticed
Marca's Wednesday edition went at Vini Jr. directly: he is falling behind Mbappé in the fight for the spotlight at Real Madrid (2).
The argument is not only that Vini Jr. is still far from his best level. It is that Brahim, Carlos Espí and now Yan Diomande are pushing hard, and that, in Calderón's words, they are not making Mourinho's life easy when it comes to respecting the pact with Vini Jr. and Mbappé (2).
You have seen the numbers. Now you see the debate.
Diomande has to swim straight away
Yan Diomande arrived from RB Leipzig at 19 years old, into an attack with Vinícius Júnior and Kylian Mbappé already in it (10).
The scouting line on him is brutal and honest: having those two around can help enormously, but it can also be sink or swim. "You do have to perform, because if they see you're not performing, you don't last very long at that level," Hatchard said (10).
Branthwaite and Cavan Sullivan: the monitoring list
Real Madrid are weighing a move for Everton's 24-year-old English defender Jarrad Branthwaite, who is also on the radar at several Premier League clubs (3).
The club have also asked about Cavan Sullivan, the 16-year-old at Philadelphia Union. Barcelona and Manchester City are in that conversation too (3).
Julián Alvarez ready for the derby
Julián Alvarez is ready to return against Real Madrid (5). He is your Sunday problem, and your defence knows it.
Alicia de la Cuerda leaves Real Madrid B for Cruz Azul Femenil
Alicia de la Cuerda, a midfielder and captain in the Real Madrid B setup, has signed for Cruz Azul Femenil (6).
Sonia Bermúdez is also named in the reporting. It is a departure from the base of the women's side, straight to the Mexican league (6).
Betis are level with you on 15 points
Real Betis beat Getafe 1–0 on Thursday, Abde Ezzalzouli with the only goal, and they are now level with Real Madrid on 15 points (11).
You stay above them, on goal difference. Third place is one slip away from being a real conversation, and Sunday in the derby is not the game where you want to hand anything over.
Szoboszlai's answer on Real Madrid links
Dominik Szoboszlai was asked about a team-mate being linked to Real Madrid, after scoring in the Carabao Cup (7). That is the latest chapter in the rumours, and it is not closing any time soon.
Fan reactions
The mood after Elche is split between the result and the physical data. One thread digs into the distance-covered numbers from the win, and the half-time drop in control is the thing fans keep coming back to (thread).
Other posts are off the pitch entirely: Courtois talking about maybe running the club's goalkeeper department one day, and a genuine complaint about the quality of a jersey ordered online (thread).
