Real Madrid: 3 keys to victory against Real Betis on LaLiga’s Matchday 3

And just like that, we are dawning upon the first week of LaLiga. This weekend will mark the third and last Matchday of August, an eventful August to say the least. And, by all means, the month can get even more eventful with a ‘tic-tac’ move for Kylian Mbappe to his dream club, Real Madrid, finally on the verge of happening.

That being said, the last opponents for Real Madrid in August are none other than Real Betis. Yes, a much-improved opposition than the first two games, no matter how the outcomes have turned out to be. This is going to be a particularly tough match to close out the month, Real Madrid has their setbacks that we’d be discussing shortly.

As such, to mark their travels to the Benito Villamarin with a victory, here are the three keys that Los Blancos will have to abide by.

1. Fix the defensive slip-ups

It goes without saying that Carlo Ancelotti would have prioritized the club’s attacking stint. But, from what was seen in the last Matchday in Valencia, things need to be improved. Levante was given way too much attacking freedom and resultantly Los Blancos conceded three. The goal by Jose Campana especially substantiates my point, with no one marking the Spaniard at all.

These things need to improve. Now there are few things to consider. Firstly, Real’s leader at the back, Nacho will probably be out of the squad list for the next game. He has sustained an injury and we may finally see David Alaba making a start at the position he was brought in for, the central defense. We have seen from preseason that David Alaba can get a decent job done in central defense too. It would be a big key for the new setup to work in favor of Los Blancos.

Los Verdiblancos have some of the league’s top wide players in the likes of Juanmi Jimenez, Martin Montoya, or even Joaquin. As such, keeping things tight on the flanks and stopping the incoming ball, and marking the wider runs would be a massive key for Real Madrid.

Here too, there’s one pivotal point. Lucas Vazquez had a rough night out against Levante and the introduction of Dani Carvajal improved things by great degrees. I am pushing for a Carvajal-start though it wouldn’t be likely given his fitness. But, having him playing wide especially against a team like Betis who can break dangerously on counters, would have been a handy presence.