Three questions and three answers from Real Madrid 2-0 Atalanta | UEFA Super Cup | OneFootball

Game one, title one. Real Madrid mean business heading into the 2024-25 campaign and as the defending Spanish and European champions, there is a lot of expectation on the men in white.

Last night, Carlo Ancelotti’s side took to the field for the first official game of the season – the UEFA Super Cup against Atalanta. The 90 minutes that unfolded at Warsaw saw plenty of action, passion and historic moments that will go down in the books.

Eventually, however, it was Real Madrid who came out on top with a dominant showing and a 2-0 scoreline to lift their first trophy with the reinforced squad.

Madrid Universal brings you three questions and three answers from Real Madrid 2-0 Atalanta.

Three answers

How would Vinicius and Mbappe work together?

A lot has been said about the combination of Vinicius Jr. and Kylian Mbappe in recent months. After all, both players play in a similar niche and it was going to be intriguing to see how the manager combined their forces.

Last night provided a lot of clarity on that front as it was understandably the Brazilian who featured more on the wing and stuck to the wide areas.

Mbappe, meanwhile, took a more central role and was tasked with making runs behind the defence to get into scoring positions. He occasionally left his fox-in-the-box role and drifted wide, and in such situations, it was Vinicius who took his place in the centre.

Showing off great chemistry. (Photo by WOJTEK RADWANSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

At this point, it is thus safe to say that Ancelotti’s plans revolve around the harmony and chemistry between the two superstar forwards. Last night showed that there is great reason to be optimistic.

Could Jude Bellingham find his form?

After making a brilliant start to life at Real Madrid, Jude Bellingham’s stocks fizzled out towards the end of the season as his level considerably dropped.

The youngster’s influence on the field saw a steep decline and it became clear that either he was past his honeymoon stage or under serious fatigue.

The Euro 2024 event also did not go all that well for the Real Madrid star and there were serious concerns over a burnout. However, he responded with a bang last night in some style.

Starting the game against Atalanta, the English phenom was one of Real Madrid’s best players on the field as he single-handedly created most of the team’s attacking transitions and posed a serious threat in front of goal.

In 89 minutes, he recorded one assist, created two big chances, and produced three key passes for Los Blancos to finish as the Player of the Match.

Could Real Madrid win their first title of the season?

The UEFA Super Cup is a special chance for the defending European champions to lay hands on silverware on day one of the new season, and Real Madrid were privileged enough to have a berth in this year’s iteration.

All eyes, thus, were on whether the team with all its changes and altered dynamics could hold up for 90 minutes and bring home the win.

The first half was complicated for the Merengues as they were matched spade for spade by Atalanta and not granted much room in the finished third.

The second 45 minutes, however, saw Los Blancos make serious advances in attack and eventually break the resistance with ease. As they have regularly done over the years, they shone under pressure and secured the first title of the new season.

Three questions

Is Rodrygo misplaced?

Young Rodrygo Goes did have his moments on the field, especially his contribution in the buildup to the second goal which was invaluable to the team.

Barring the occasional moments of magic, however, the Brazilian was barely involved in the buildup and did not generate half the threat on the right flank that Vinicius did on the left.

Ancelotti and Co. place a lot of trust in Rodrygo and see him as the starting right winger. However, one is forced to wonder if the young star is misplaced or if there are superior options in the squad to take his place.

What is Carlo Ancelotti’s midfield pecking order?

Impressing in midfield. (Photo by SERGEI GAPON/AFP via Getty Images)

With Eduardo Camavinga injured and Toni Kroos no longer at the club, the Real Madrid manager did not have an option of retaining the UCL final-winning midfield combination last night.

Given the severe competition in the department, it was always going to be interesting to see if Ancelotti would reveal his pecking order.

Despite the game now being past us, however, there is still no clarity over the manager’s preferences.

Federico Valverde, Aurelien Tchouameni and Jude Bellingham appear to be the Italian coach’s favoured trio, but the lack of a fourth midfielder in the 4-3-3 setup leaves ruthless competition on the bench.

The coach awarded Arda Guler and even Dani Ceballos minutes last night, indicating that both players are in his plans.

Adding the duo to the already long list including Luka Modric, Eduardo Camavinga and young Mario Martin, it remains to be seen his Ancelotti plays his cards.

Do Real Madrid lack a natural No. 9?

Despite a poor first half, Los Blancos came good after the break and seriously stepped up their game. They created chance after chance in the Atalanta box with the forwards running riot in the Italian half.

Vinicius Jr, Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo, and Kylian Mbappe all regularly got into scoring positions and could well have put four beyond Juan Musso. However, they scuffed several opportunities and finished the game with just a two-goal cushion.

It is still early in the season to draw any conclusion and Mbappe’s thunderbolt finish gives a lot of reason to be optimistic. However, one cannot help but wonder if the squad lacks a natural number nine like Joselu and Karim Benzema have served in recent years.