In their first game following the disastrous performance against Roma in the Champions League, Real Madrid put in what was easily their best performance of the season, with an emphatic 4-1 home win over Sevilla. Compared to other performances we've seen this season, Real Madrid actually played like a team and didn't just look like 11 players wearing the same shirt. This was exactly the kind of team performance Real Madrid needs with the highly anticipated El Clasico coming up next weekend.
After such a solid performance, there are naturally a number of questions on the minds of fans about what this now means for the future of Real Madrid over the remainder of the season. Let's take a look at three burning questions from Real Madrid's win over Sevilla.
3 burning questions from Real Madrid's much needed win over Sevilla
1. Did Jose Mourinho's lineup changes work?
After the early-season struggles through the first month of the season, Jose Mourinho finally made wholesale changes to his starting lineup, with Fede Valverde slotting in at right-back, Arda Guler partnering Aurelien Tchouameni in midfield, Yan Diomande filling in for Vinicius Junior on the left, and Endrick getting his first start of the season on the right wing. These changes completely changed how the team played, and it looked like a completely new team from what we've seen so far this season.
This was easily the best team performance from Real Madrid, with every player knowing their role and executing it to perfection. Valverde looks far more comfortable playing at right-back and hardly put a foot wrong, helping solidify the backline, while also still being able to join in the attack. Arda Guler controlled the whole game from a deeper position, and Yan Diomande and Endrick provided the perfect attacking support for Kylian Mbappe, knowing that their role is to be more of a provider than being a goal-scoring threat. It was a very well-balanced team, one that, with some more fine-tuning, could be a team that will threaten for the big trophies this season.
2. Are Real Madrid better without Vinicius Junior?
Real Madrid's match against Sevilla was the first of four La Liga matches where they will be without Vinicius Junior, following his red card against Villarreal, and many were questioning how Real Madrid would fill his place, and the answer is Yan Diomande. The Ivorian looked at home right away down the left wing, putting in his best performance so far for Real Madrid, scoring a sensational goal to make it 4-1. It was a brilliant individual performance from Diomande, but he also contributed to the team performance as a whole, which begs the question: are Real Madrid better without Vinicius?
The team looked more unified and together, and with Diomande as well as Endrick tracking back to do their defensive work, the team looked more structurally together without the ball, and they didn't have to worry about trying to force the ball to Vinicius to make him happy, and that helped bring a balance to the attack with everyone knowing Mbappe is the main target. If this new lineup keeps working for the rest of his suspension, and with the form the Brazilian has been in this season, it wouldn't be surprising if he doesn't just walk back into the starting lineup once his ban is over.
3. Are Real Madrid back?
Off the back of the terrible performance in Rome, this is exactly the kind of performance Real Madrid needed to put in, and hopefully it is a sign of things to come. Every player knew their role and did it without complaint; everyone looked unified and on the same page, finally playing like a team after months of who knows what they were doing.
This is the kind of game that can kickstart a team back down the right path and be the launching point for great things to come for the rest of the season. Are Real Madrid finally back? After just one solid performance, it's hard to say, but if this keeps up, then it's hard to argue that things haven't been sorted out and silverware is very much still within reach this season.
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