Although it is still very early days in the 26/27 season, we take a look at the new role of Real Madrid superstar, Jude Bellingham under the management of Jose Mourinho.
So far so good for Real Madrid in the 26/27 season. The team has won all three of their La Liga games, scoring 10 goals in the process.
It is still very early on, and lest we forget that the team started last season with five consecutive wins in the league, but we can only go off what we have seen so far, and that has largely been positive.
Other than the game against Espanyol, where the team were fortunate to come away with all three points, the collective performance has largely been very good, as well as a number of individuals who have played very well.
Perhaps the star performer of all has been Jude Bellingham. who has started the season like a house on fire, with two goals, two assists and three big chances created in the three games so far.
So, what has Mourinho done so far to get the best out of the 23-year old?
His goal against Espanyol came from a set piece, which could in theory happen under any manager. However, you just have to look at both of his assists in the win against Real Sociedad to see just how the gaffer wants to play him.
For the first assist, Kylian Mbappe plays a one two with Bellingham just inside the box. It is clear that Mourinho wants those two as close together as possible, linking up in tight spaces.
Then, for the second assist, he wins the ball back in the opposition penalty area, before squaring for Vinicius. Again, high up the pitch, playing almost like a forward. Last month, it was reported that the boss wanted to use Bellingham higher up the pitch, in a similar way to his first season at the club, which was so successful both individually and collectively.
To finish off, the win against Malaga. In the first half, Real Madrid's number five scored a superb solo goal, but it was something else that would have really pleased the boss. In the second half, the visitors strung together a counter attack, and managed to fashion a presentable opportunity for themselves, but there was the attacking midfielder to get back and make an important block.
In order for the former Borussia Dortmund man to be able to sustain this much effort both with and without the ball, in both halves of the pitch, his minutes will have to be managed carefully. And you have to say, Mourinho is doing a good job of that so far. In all three games so far, Bellingham has been subbed off in the second half, playing 80, 78 and 87 minutes respectively.
That is 25 minutes of rest so far, more than one quarter of a game, which will hugely benefit the team, and himself in the medium and long term. Fortunately the game state has generally allowed this, with the Espanyol game the only time he was subbed off with the team not winning.
If this can continue all season, and we see Bellingham consistently back to his brilliant season, then Real Madrid will have every chance of breaking their trophy drought. Let's see.
