Last Saturday's match against Real Sociedad awakened recent bittersweet memories... Do you remember what happened when we last played against them at the Bernabéu on May 25th 2025? Obviously you do. That was the day of the farewell of the two greatest Real Madrid legends: Luka Modrić and Carlo Ancelotti. On a side note, I was there at the stadium, and the emotions were simply overwhelming. My God, so many things have changed in the club since then!

Anyway, back to today, since the decisive Champions League playoff match approaches, Arbeloa decided to rest Kylian Mbappé (who is still suffering from some knee discomfort) and Raúl Asencio, while both Antonio Rüdiger and Trent Alexander-Arnold were back in the starting XI. The result? Two penalties, two golazos and a convincing 4-1 win over the Txuri-Urdin. Well done, lads!

Matchday 24: Focus on Trent Alexander-Arnold

After having played good 20 minutes against València, Trent Alexander-Arnold was back as a starter and his impact on the match was huge. it was him who crossed for Gonzalo García to score the first goal right after just five minutes. That was just the first of his precise crosses from the right wing to the left. We still created most chances on the left wing with Vinícius Júnior, but Alexander-Arnold kept the right wing active and played an essential role in creating potential chances basically from both sides of the pitch.

He started as right back, his usual position, but then moved a lot, switched positions with Rüdiger and Güler, drove forward and came inside while Valverde covered him, it was good in the 1v1 against Wesley, and also took a corner kick. Alexander-Arnold looked in good shape, very focused and always putting effort to create chances. For me he was the MVP of the match by a country mile.

He was subbed off at minute 60 and finally Dani Carvajal had some consistent playtime. Welcome back, Capitán!

Honestly, that was the best Real Madrid match in weeks, even without Mbappé. 4 goals and good pace and team dynamics. Now I'm more optimistic for the upcoming Champions League match against Benfica tonight. Vamos! Hala Madrid y Nada Más!

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Did you watch the match? Which player impressed you the most? Hit reply and let me know!

See you next Tuesday!

Marta