A 0–0 that costs more than a point
Real Madrid went to El Sardinero on the back of five straight wins and came away with a 0–0 against Racing Santander (1) (24). Barcelona and Atlético both won their matches, so the gap at the top grew on a day when José Mourinho's team had the chance to close it (14) (18). That is the story of the week: not a collapse, but a stalled engine at the exact moment the chasing pack stopped dropping points.
Without Vinicius, the attack has one gear
Three league games without Vinicius Júnior now, and the pattern is getting clearer. Mourinho set up 4-2-3-1 at Santander with Mbappé alone up front and Güler, Bellingham and Yan Diomande behind him (3) (19). Diomande has held the left flank, but he is a different player to Vinicius: straighter, less able to turn a static defensive block into a broken one. Racing sat deep and Madrid could not break them. Vinicius is back for Athens, per the team news, then out again until after the international break (1). That is a tactical problem dressed up as an injury list.
Alexander-Arnold gets the shirt and a public vote of confidence
Valverde missed the trip, which opened the right-back slot, and Mourinho chose Trent Alexander-Arnold over Denzel Dumfries (9) (10) (15). It mattered. The Englishman has had a rough start in Spain, with Liverpool return talk following him around (5) (6). Mourinho used the build-up to say he does not expect a January exit for either right-back (3), and then picked Trent on merit. Meanwhile the club is reportedly still not fully convinced by its right-back options and has entered a race with Barcelona for Pedro Porro (8). One start does not settle that.
Courtois back, and a succession plan already drawn
Thibaut Courtois returned from illness and captained the side at Santander (9) (13). Madrid kept a clean sheet without much drama. Behind him, the club has reportedly lined up Brighton's Bart Verbruggen as the long-term successor, with Courtois expected to extend to 2028 (11). At centre-back, Antonio Rüdiger is into the final months of his contract and has been linked with Chelsea and Tottenham (7). Two defensive positions, two files open, in a season where the back line has been the most stable part of the team.
What to watch
AEK Athens away in the Champions League on Wednesday, then Valencia at Mestalla on Saturday (fixtures). Vinicius returns in Athens (1), which should restore the vertical threat that Santander exposed as missing. Then he is gone again for the league game, and Diomande gets another audition on the left. If Madrid drop points at Mestalla with the same flat shape, the Vinicius dependency stops being a theory.
