Three talking points ahead of Real Madrid vs Osasuna | La Liga MD1 | OneFootball

Real Madrid tried long and hard to see their first La Liga game of the new season postponed or rescheduled given the dire shortage of rest in their hectic calendar. After all, it has been just over a month since they played in the FIFA Club World Cup.

La Liga, however, refused to sanction such a luxury and the judiciary went against Los Blancos as well, meaning the game will go ahead as planned tomorrow night.

The men in white enter the new season under pressure to deliver titles this time around, especially after last season’s domestic and European disappointment, and they do so with a completely new look in the squad and on the sidelines.

Antonio Rudiger, notably, will not be available to play against Osasuna given the suspension he is carrying forward from last season, while Xabi Alonso will also be without Jude Bellingham, Eduardo Camavinga, Endrick and Ferland Mendy.

Madrid Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Real Madrid vs Osasuna.

New season, new manager, new era

Real Madrid fought valiantly in La Liga last season despite their struggles with injuries and tactics, and their position on the final leaderboard reflects that they punched well above their weight given how unconvincing they were week in and week out.

In the end, however, the defence collapsed with an overburden of injuries and there was no recovering from there. Tomorrow, Los Blancos return to action in Spain once more, but this time they come in as a completely different side to the one that played last season.

The departure of Carlo Ancelotti and subsequent arrival of Xabi Alonso has changed a lot in the Merengues’ dressing room, and the FIFA Club World Cup made it clear that the new manager is here to disrupt the system and change it from the grassroots up.

In his first tournament in charge last month, Alonso put out a new look Real Madrid that controlled the game, played with spirit in attack and pressed off the ball.

Los Blancos looked proactive and took the initiative in attack and it is clear that they are contenders to take home the league title this time around.

Their road towards that objective starts tomorrow as they kick off a new era in the new season under a new manager. With fresh ideas, an identity and new players, Los Blancos will look to get off to a commanding start and a dominant win over Osasuna would be the perfect start.

Spotlight on the debutants

Official debut incoming. (Photo by Jan Hetfleisch/Getty Images)

It has been an active summer transfer window for Real Madrid so far as Florentino Perez has gone out and broken the bank to reinforce positions that Real Madrid direly lacked in last season.

There will thus be as many as four players who make their debut at the Santiago Bernabeu and it is clear that they will hog a significant part of the limelight.

Starting in central defence, Dean Huijsen is expected to feature for Real Madrid from the get-go, especially after he proved to be a key cog in the team’s buildup, distribution and defensive fortress in his few appearances in the FIFA Club World Cup.

Alongside him, two new players are expected to start and star in the two full-back positions as well.

Trent Alexander-Arnold will likely be Real Madrid’s starting right-back against Osasuna in all probability and he will look to impress with his attacking prowess at the Bernabeu where he will be playing for the first ever time as a new Galactico.

At left-back, Alvaro Carreras will make his official debut for the team as he did not feature for the club in the FIFA Club World Cup.

Taking charge of the position from Fran Garcia, that too as the club’s second most expensive defensive signing, will up the pressure on him and it remains to be seen how he delivers.

The final debutant is Franco Mastantuono, and the youngster is expected to start on the bench given that he only joined the team dynamics last week. He may receive his debut late in the game, but there will be a lot of excitement regardless given the hype around him.

The Vinicius-Mbappe partnership must click

Time to step up. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)

While Alonso’s system is terrifying on paper and was a daunting force on the field both in the US and in preseason, the one aspect of the field that appeared to have some tension was the forward department where Vinicius Jr. and Kylian Mbappe did not gel the way they should.

The theme was a recurring one from last season, for Mbappe’s rise in form was coincidentally accompanied by a decline in Vinicius’ quality.

While the two events may be mutually exclusive, it is clear that Real Madrid have seldom ever had both players at their best and supporting each other.

Having both their superstar forwards performing optimally and complementing each other is of supreme importance and Real Madrid must thus look to get the synchrony between the duo up.

Mbappe has been in great goalscoring shape of late, but Vinicius’ form has not shown any major signs of improvement. The more specific aim, thus, will be to get him back to his best.