My unpopular take is that this is because Bellingham wasn’t the same player in the second half of last season. Good, produced a lot of important moments, but overall did not control the game the way he’s capable of doing. Last night’s second half showed what he can do.
Definitely agree he was tired last season but the shoulder is also a worry. Still unclear whats going on with it.
Damn it's hard not to get excited about this lineup. A lot of times "super teams" fall short of expectations because the stars are entering the downhill part of their careers by the time they get together, but these guys are 25, 24, 21, 23, and do not come across as having giant egos that will clash. Future is bright to say the least
Jude Bellingham against Atalanta:- Most chances created (3)- Most dribbles (5)- Most duels won (12)- 1 aasist.- 90% passing accuracy. pic.twitter.com/wR8BBobJ2u— Madrid Universal (@MadridUniversal) August 14, 2024
Jude Bellingham vs Atalanta The full performance pic.twitter.com/VLofMz9Ikq— 🫵🏽 (@idoxvi) August 15, 2024 Vinicius Junior vs Atalanta pic.twitter.com/QBeSxxYzHQ— 🫵🏽 (@idoxvi) August 15, 2024
Some of those Vini passes were truly exceptional. He's come a long way as a passer, but I think that might be his best single game passing performance due to the variety of impressive passes.
That was a good analysis, especially about the positioning of the fullbacks and centrebacks - most YouTube analysis is crap.
For Carlo Ancelotti, Davide and Antonio Pintus, Rodrygo was the best player in the UEFA Super Cup game.— @marca pic.twitter.com/WcKJAVwjpo— Madrid Universal (@MadridUniversal) August 16, 2024
Just trying to read between the lines and could be totally wrong but the way Carlo praised Rodrygo sounds very deliberate. I think he’s giving Rodrygo lots of credit to make him feel as important as the other 2 and also it’s kinda obvious that he’s gonna ask Rodrygo to do a lot of defensive work this season. He’s already praised him for it. I liked how Carlo already has made “creating balance” his top priority. Shows that he gets it, you can have the best players but if the team is not balanced it won’t go far. Every player should work for the team on both ends but some will be asked for more so others can impose their attacking prowess.
Yea. With Mbappe and Vini having all the offensive freedom, Rodrygo's defensive effort is important for team balance. Bellingham will always put in a defensive shift. No surprise that Carlo praised Rodrygo's effort after Atalanta game.
Facts. I feel like Rodrygo kinda has to become our 2014 Di Maria: - Work very hard defensively for the balance; - Still be decisive; and - Be ok with getting a bit less shine than Mbappe, Vini and Jude. If he embraces and thrives in his new role, we’ll be amazing.