Real Madrid narrowly escaped past Elche 3-2 in their final test before facing Atletico Madrid in the derby on Sunday.
What matters most is the win, but it is also important to see where Real Madrid were not good enough.
There were some really good performances, alongside a couple of horrible ones, and it is going to be interesting to see how Jose Mourinho fixes these problems going into the biggest match yet of his second stint at Real Madrid.
3 stars and 2 flops from Real Madrid's nervy win over Elche
Star: Kylian Mbappe
The best player for Real Madrid on the night. Kylian Mbappe scored a good goal to give Real Madrid a 2-0 lead in the first half. He had a second goal correctly disallowed for a marginal offside, before turning provider for Carlos Espi in the dying minutes of the game to fetch Real Madrid the three points. Great performance, and he probably deserved another goal and assist.
Flop: Vinicius Junior
Vinicius Junior was perhaps Real Madrid's worst player on the pitch. He had a plethora of chances waiting to be put away, which would have resulted in assists for Arda Guler and Mbappe, but Vinicius Jr's poor finishing in front of goal continued.
Out of possession, he worked hard and won the ball in many positions, but with the ball, where he is supposed to be the most dominant, the Brazilian was awful on the night. He scuffed many chances, and his passing was also not good enough.
Star: Arda Guler
Honestly, it is going to be an impossible task for Jose Mourinho to keep this guy out of the starting XI for too long. Guler was incredibly good for Real Madrid with and without the ball. There were many sequences where he won the ball in advanced areas of the pitch, and then moments later, he would then create opportunities for his teammates.
He scored a beautiful free kick which would be given as an own goal, but even if you discount that, Guler was amazing on the night. He was unlucky to be substituted, because he really was one of the best players on the pitch.
Flop: Marc Cucurella
Cucurella did not have the best of games. He struggled to keep up with Elche's width in the second half, and it was a bit unfortunate as both of the goals happened on people he was supposed to be marking. Now, that alone would be harsh on him, because in the first goal, he had to mark two players in one go, but even if you disregard that, Cucurella had his worst game in a Real Madrid shirt, which was not worrying, but worth mentioning.
Star: Yan Diomande
Great performance from Diomande, who registered his first assist in Real Madrid colours. It was a good, low-driven cross to Mbappe, and even after that, he really looked like the player Madrid paid so much money for. Great performance.
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