Maybe it’s a summer love, maybe not, but on the day of the premieres a promising partnership germinated: Bellingham-Brahim. The double b It was the gasoline of a smaller Madrid in the first part. Two defensive errors overshadowed the result, but the 0-2 at half-time cannot overshadow the stupendous 45 minutes that the Englishman and the man from Malaga had against Milan. They searched a lot and, most importantly, they found each other. Brahim, left-handed with a tendency to fall towards the center. Bellingham, right-handed with a tendency to appear all over the place. The front of the Milan area was the crossroads of two players who were the great creators of danger for the white team in the first half.
The couple have hit it off. They already appeared together with Arda Güler, the great absentee against the rossoneri due to discomfort in one leg, at the well-known Madrid restaurant ‘De María’. An understanding off the pitch that Carlo Ancelotti has been cultivating during the preseason, watering the partnership by placing them together in most test matches. Sometimes Rodrygo, other times Vinicius, but he ten of practices has always been the 5 and his attacker on the right was usually the twenty-one. The remnants that ventured to see them proceed at UCLA have become corporeal at the Rose Bowl.
“Brahim has made a good comeback after two seasons with Milan. He has quality to play in this position. He plays very well between the lines. He associates very well with the others. It is an option that we have and hopefully we can enjoy it during the campaign,” he replied. Carletto to this newspaper when asked about this newly minted society. Vinicius and Rodrygo showed with their departure in the second half why they are indisputable, but Brahim must take advantage of these summer friendlies to start the official season in the best of dispositions. Performances like the one in Pasadena are a good springboard to start.
Bellingham starts in a different position, logically, but in his first 63 minutes in white It has raised expectations. Oriented controls, descents to the exit of machines to clear congestion, line breaks that have allowed him to close his first goal with a blocked shot, passes filtered especially to his partner Brahim and, above all, leadership and a maturity unbecoming of a 20-year-old boy. And Ancelotti has been enthusiastic about the one at Stourbridge, pointing out that one of the details that will have to be corrected is that “The team must get used to their quality”.
Lime and sand
The other two debutants, or redebutants, lime and sand. Joselu started as starter, as a striker on the left profile. Too far from the area and with tasks of constant pressure that do not favor the characteristics of the striker, the only ‘nine’ finisher that Madrid has on the squad, but he could not finish off much. The 4-4-2 in diamonds does not benefit him and his role aims to be the spearhead of the moments in which Ancelotti articulates the plan, that 4-2-3-1 that he has tried in training or the usual 4-3-3 that would allow him to focus his range of action in the area.
While Fran García won the first assault on Mendy on the left side. The white squad player, formerly of Rayo, saw how Ferland was the one chosen to start, but between the troubles of the Frenchman and his own solvent performance, Fran came out very strengthened from the victory against Milan. He was quick, insistent in his rises on the wing, brave when it came to overflowing and with a good combinative ability to associate with Vinicius. After the match he was exultant in the mixed zone. It was not be for lowerly.