The Key Points Behind Real Madrid's Strong Start

Real Madrid has had an excellent start to the season; it has accumulated 9 points from 9 available and is in second place in the overall standings, behind only Barcelona, which leads on goal difference. While the white team has a +8 difference (10 goals for and 2 against), the Catalan club has a +10 difference (12 goals for and 2 against). This means that, at least at the start of the season, the race for the trophy is quite even.

We believe this start, completely different from the previous season's culmination, is due to seven key points that improved over the summer. Starting with the connection with the fans (the same ones who made sure to let the team know during the first games of the season at the Bernabeu how dissatisfied they were with the performance in the last two campaigns by whistling at their own players).

Even so, the team responded with victories, and the waters seem to have calmed a little, as Mourinho's arrival seems to have answered the club's problems. Number two: the team again has reliable full-backs. After a campaign where Valverde had to sacrifice his midfield position to cover a right flank that Trent never managed to become a reference on.

As well as a left flank where neither Alvaro Carreras nor Fran Garcia convinced with their performances (added to the never-ending story of Ferland Mendy), this season, with Marc Cucurella, Denzel Dumfries, and the same Trent, but now in a much more effective version, the defence seems truly powerful against rival attacks.

Number three: Federico Valverde is again seen as plugged in after a season in which he lost his lustre due to multiple internal conflicts that kept him from playing his best football. The only game in which he was the great figure was the round of 16 against Manchester City, when he scored a hat trick that would later send them through to the next round. Currently, whether with Bernardo Silva or Eduardo Camavinga, he is seen as the owner of the midfield; the Madrid faithful are happy about that.

Number four: Jose Mourinho wants a plugged-in squad so the substitutes can respond when they enter the field. Remember that in 2024, when Real Madrid won the LaLiga championship and the Champions League, it was largely thanks to its substitutes: Lunin, Nacho, Joselu, Lucas, Brahim and Camavinga. That is why it is heartening to see them respond like Carlos Espi and Arda Guler, who have scored goals upon coming on as substitutes recently.

Number five: the team's attitude has changed. During the previous season, the club felt too apathetic, whether it lost or won; nor was there a sense of camaraderie (as evidenced by multiple cases of aggression between players that came to light). That seems to have changed, based on what we've seen to this day.

Number six: Jude Bellingham seems to have recovered the great form that took him to third place in the Ballon d'Or in 2024. After a disconnected season with irregular performances, he seems to have returned to that level where he is one of the leaders of the white attack.

Last but not least, Thibaut Courtois has had a calmer start to the season. In the three games he has started, he has made five saves, which suggests that Madrid's goal has not been facing an immense number of shots, something the Belgian appreciates.