Real Madrid are coming off back to back 2-1 losses, and though a few people may make certain excuses for them, the reality is that Los Blancos were outplayed by both lowly Mallorca in La Liga and then their mighty European Clasico rivals Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
Girona beckon the Merengues on Friday night in La Liga action to kick off Matchday 31, and there can be no excuses for anything less than a win. Here are three Real Madrid stars who are under some pressure to shine against the Catalan club.
FW Kylian Mbappe
Although Kylian Mbappe was probably the best player on the pitch for Real Madrid, scoring the lone goal while being denied at least a few times by Manuel Neuer's all time brilliance, that compliment rings hollow.
Real Madrid fans will judge Mbappe solely by if the team wins or loses, because that is exactly how every superstar, from Cristiano Ronaldo all the way back to David Beckham, was judged after every big game. Mbappe still hasn't shown the week to week consistency against all the clubs in Europe that a Real Madrid superstar must display, and even Alvaro Arbeloa has publicly sent that challenge to Kylian. We need to see a truly well rounded, world class performance from the supposed best player in the world.
LB Alvaro Carreras
Alvaro Carreras may not even start on Friday against Girona, and he is honestly under even more pressure than Kylian Mbappe. Because at least Mbappe is playing well overall - he just faces higher expectations than everyone else - and is at no risk of losing his starting job.
The Spanish left back is perhaps a healthy Ferland Mendy spell away from getting sent to the bench. Even before his disaster class against Michael Olis and Bayern Munich, Alvaro was already at risk of being unseated. If he plays like he did against Mallorca and Bayern against Girona, he can kiss his next week after good bye.
DM Aurelien Tchouameni
Aurelien Tchouameni was part of the problem against Bayern Munich. Real Madrid have been getting better performances from Tchou under Alvaro Arbeloa, but still something is missing. That something is, sadly, class. Tchouameni plays the game with a pig for a head, blissfully unaware of where to position himself. Infamously on Tuesday, the young Arda Guler was screaming for exactly where Tchou should receive the ball, and yet he still stood there as a lamp post while the ball rolled idly by.
Every single midfielder besides Guler, Jude Bellingham, and Fede Valverde is on trial this season. Tchou will not be a starter next season if he doesn't show up every week, because the pendulum will soon swing from Eduardo Camavinga back to this French midfielder if he keeps taking plays off.