Barça had to suffer, but could not get more than one point from their visit to Mallorca. Javier Aguirre's team even went ahead on the scoreboard on two occasions, through Vedat Muriqi and Abdón Prats, against a Barça team that was stifled in attack by its defensive structure but that, even so, managed to get a point thanks to two isolated blows from Raphinha, in the final moments of the first half, and from a young Fermín López whom Xavi takes into account with a view to both the present and the future. [Narrative and statistics (2-2)]

It suited Mallorca that Ter Stegen, usually very confident in playing with his feet, was not fine in a seemingly innocuous movement of the ball that Muriqi, on the second after a rebound from Ronald Araujo collected by Antonio Sánchez, He was in charge of making it 1-0 before 10 minutes were up. The blaugrana, gripped by the fact of finding themselves unexpectedly behind, were excessively hasty and anxious when looking for the rival goal.. Those of Aguirre, meanwhile, terribly physical, on the other hand, took advantage of every approach to put fear into the body.

Raphinha, the great argument of Barça's attack throughout the first 45 minutes, however, was able to find a fair reward for his efforts with a left-footed shot from the edge of the area that would become the momentary 1-1 in the twilight of the first part. With the equalizer, the Blaugrana promised themselves very happy.

Waiting for a revulsion

They even came close to 1-2 with a new action by the Brazilian and a twisted play between Gündogan, Cancelo and Joao Félix that the local goalkeeper, Rajkovic, was in charge of disrupting. However, it would be Mallorca who would put things in the way again, thanks to a goal kick from the home team perfectly combed by Muriqi that Prats sent to the back of the net in the first half's added time..

Ferran Torres, replacement for Lewandowski with many minutes in his legs, was not having his night. And the same, except for that final spark, can be said of Joao Félix whom the locals tried to make desperate by using his most physical repertoire.. After the break, of course, Barça needed a boost. Therefore, it is not at all strange that Xavi very soon sent the Pole and the young Lamine Yamal to warm up on the wing.

Finally a reference

Mallorca, meanwhile, opted to cede practically all the initiative to the Barcelona fans and try to catch the final blow through the counterattack while remaining tremendously armed at the back.. With the entry of the former Bayern player, Barcelona's attackers finally got a reference to which they could feed with balls, although, to tell the truth, they did not spend too much effort on that task either.

However, the one who had a brilliant entrance on the pitch was Yamal. As soon as he took the field as a replacement for Joao Félix, who was very well controlled by the local defense, he caused Muñiz Ruiz to point out a penalty that finally went to limbo at the request of the VAR.. It would be another young man, Fermín López, who was in charge of making it 2-2 after a twisted play between Lamine Yamal and Raphinha and a timely drop by Lewandowski so that the midfielder could score his first goal in the First Division at will.. With practically 15 minutes left, Barça had time to look for something even more. The scoreboard, despite everything, would not move again.

In the 40th minute of the first half of the derby, Davide Ancelotti came off the bench, approached Valverde and pointed towards Camavinga and Kroos. Carlo's son, the man in his father's shadow for almost the entire tactical section of Madrid, told the Uruguayan that the Frenchman and the German should exchange positions. The Frenchman had to fall a little to the left and the former Bayern player would be the new '5' for the white team against Atlético. The coaching staff was not convinced by Kroos' position in defense, without the ability to reach the help of Fran García, nor by Camavinga's position in attack, more anchored than usual. The Madrid bench, in fact, was not liking it at all in general.

At half-time Modric, whom he had included in an eleven with 5 midfielders, stayed in the locker room and Joselu returned Bellingham to the midfielder to share the lead with an overly focused Rodrygo, so much so that he finished the game leaning to the left, where he most enjoy, while Brahim completed the attacking trio on the right. And beyond the defeat of the derby, right now the big headache in Valdebebas is the puzzle of the system and the management of the minutes and virtues of the footballers. How should Madrid play?

If there is one thing that has been clear at the Bernabéu for years, it is the 4-3-3, with Isco's small incisions to seat Bale in Zidane's first stage. The size of the midfield formed by Casemiro, Kroos and Modric and the power of the BBC had made it very easy to bet on the three forward system. Even after Cristiano left, with the arrival of Vinicius or Hazard, the most comfortable thing had been to maintain the scheme. Also after Bale's goodbye, with the appearance of Rodrygo and the minutes on the right of Asensio and Valverde. Different players within the same formation.

The arrival of Bellingham

But the arrival of Bellingham and Benzema's trip to Arabia, one star for another but in different positions, has changed everything.. Madrid has signed a vintage midfielder, it has lost the '9' who had just won the Ballon d'Or and Joselu has landed in his place. These are big words to rethink the training that has led him to win five Champions Leagues in the last decade.. Or so they thought in the sports management and on the bench. “The best have to play,” he glided through Valdebebas in the summer. And maybe from there everything will be understood.

For some time now, Madrid has prioritized names instead of positions. And that doesn't have to be a negative circumstance.. Camavinga is not a left back, but he had an excellent mid-season on the wing, being more interior than wing in attack and enhancing his characteristics. The same with Valverde, capable of playing as a winger. And when it comes to accessing the market, the best option will always be the best signing. Did Madrid, in its 4-3-3, need another midfielder? Probably not. Is Bellingham a good signing? Absolutely. A historic one.

Names before positions

The Madrid of the Galacticos accumulated talent and from there placed it on the field. Zidane, Figo, Beckham, Raúl, Ronaldo, Owen… Now we are in a similar situation. How to organize Madrid's talent pool? In the summer, the coaching staff faced a role with six holes and eight names: Tchouaméni, Camavinga, Valverde, Bellingham, Rodrygo, Vinicius, Kroos and Modric. A list without a nine despite Ancelotti's requests. The Italian accepted the designs of the sports management and changed the scheme to manage a locker room full of midfielders, both young and veteran.

The diamond in the center of the field generates one more position in which to rotate, as important as that is for the management of the locker room, and enhances the highest scoring version of Bellingham, but it has changed the position of the Englishman, who played as the third midfielder in Dortmund, Vinicius and Rodrygo. The Brazilians, who exploded from the wing, now start more focused and score a goal. “They have freedom, I don't want to take away their creativity,” Ancelotti justified.. The pieces must fit.

A little over a year ago, Kirian Rodríguez (Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 1996) was forced to leave the playing fields for a while. The UD Las Palmas player announced on August 2 of last year, in a press conference, that he suffered from Hodgkin's lymphoma, a type of cancer that develops in the lymphatic system.. At that moment all his efforts were focused exclusively on his recovery, to be able to return to playing football as soon as possible.. He didn't want drama, just put an end to speculation about his state of health.. “The fight begins, I want them to see me strong and not come to me with messages of sorrow,” he said in said appearance.

One of the messages he received was from his former coach Pepe Mel, who did not hesitate to encourage him by saying: “You will fight and you will win.”. The coach tells EL MUNDO that they have been together for almost four years, so “the love and affection is always there”. Although Mel left the Las Palmas bench a few months before the player announced his illness, the coach acknowledges that he has always been aware of the state of his former pupil's health.. “Not only through him, but through the doctors and the club's coaching staff,” says the Madrid native.. The footballer was discharged in January of this year, but it was not until the end of April when he returned to the field of play.. He arrived just to help the team achieve promotion to the First Division.

He has been in the lower categories of the Canary Islands team. His arrival to the first team occurred with Pepe Mel on the bench. The coach arrived in Las Palmas in 2019 with the duty of creating a team for the future. It was then when he noticed the Tenerife player. What caught the coach's attention was that “technically he is brilliant, he sees the last pass very well and he can reach the area and score.”

There began a magnificent relationship between the two.. In fact, Kirian went so far as to say in an interview: “Pepe has helped me a lot as a footballer.”. When asking the coach about these words, he acknowledges that what he has contributed to has been helping him “make things simpler, to not complicate things and to reach areas where he is harmful.”

First goal in First Division

As damaging as it has been this weekend against Granada. The footballer scored the only goal of the game that gave Las Palmas the three points, in their first victory in the League this season, something that he surely hopes to repeat this afternoon at the Santiago Bernabéu. It was his first goal in the First Division and a demonstration that he is now 100% recovered.. Furthermore, at the end of the game, knowing that it was the team's first victory, the fans did not stop chanting his name, which brought tears to his eyes with emotion.. “I'm from the island opposite, I'm from Tenerife, there is maximum rivalry and look: these are my people,” he said after the meeting.

Although he was moved, those who know him say that he is a “very vital, optimistic person who always has a smile on his face.”. Without a doubt, characteristics that will have helped him cope with the months away from the playing fields.. It is also known that the footballer is quite lazy and that he likes to poke people, according to what one of his coaches in the reserve team, Juan Manuel Rodríguez, tells this newspaper.. He also reveals that he is a young man with a strong character, with fixed ideas, very convinced of what he wants and very analytical.

“I told him I had played as a 9”

Kirian left his homeland, Tenerife, when Las Palmas captured him. Despite the rivalry that exists between the two island clubs, he adapted perfectly to his team. The work done with Juan Manuel, in the subsidiary, also had a lot of impact on him. “In several interviews he has recalled an anecdote that stuck with him while he was with me.. One day he played a magnificent game and I told him that he had played 9. So, I let him know that anything other than repeating that note would be because he didn't want to, not because he couldn't, and that stuck with him,” says his former youth coach.

However, it has not been a bed of roses. In addition to the health circumstance, Kirian has also had to live through moments in which he has had to stay on the bench, and in which he has had to learn from the mistakes he has made.. “That is the experience that makes him who he is now. He has been smart enough to learn from all that and be better,” Mel concludes.

There is no magic, no goals, no victories, no efforts. Never. Except after touching the sky, lowering a star that they released in the New Archangel and demonstrating that they can exorcise all demons. Everyone, not just those who run after the ball. Also that of discrimination, that of abuse. Spain needed a feast and gave it to Switzerland. An entire stadium, 14,194 voices breaking records and displaying militancy, reminded the Spanish team players that they have won all the battles.. [Narrative and statistics (5-0)]

They had to stain their boots with mud that weighed them down for a month, enduring that a dark side was exhibited, remembering, also last night, that #It's Over and fighting to ensure that what was seen was only its immense light.

Switzerland was blinded. He did not know how to snatch the ball, stuck to the foot of the Spanish, nor could he worry them nor did he hold down an imperial Alexia Putellas to prevent her from catalyzing the attack. Spain walked. He settled in the Swiss field looking for the second victory that will help him qualify for the playoffs of this Nations League that has a double prize. The third was to see how neither sleep nor musings distract them from hunger on the grass.

Carmona, the most applauded

Lucía García tried to hit quickly at the start, then Putellas with a left foot shot that went high and then Aitana Bonmatí trying to catch a back pass from the captain's baseline. It was a matter of testing an insecure Herzog. The only scare for Switzerland came from a corner kick with a slanted header from Bühler, the Tottenham center back.. And the ball barely passed through her boots, not even to launch counterattacks that broke the Spanish defense in which Montse Tomé lined up Oihane but Olga Carmona was the one most applauded by the stands.. World Cup hero and Andalusian, not enough to excite the Córdoba fans.

Eva Navarro had also entered the eleven, who sought to take advantage of an error by the Swiss with a shot from the crescent of the area.. By then the mischievous Mariona had already detected how the defenses trembled when they appeared in a rush if the Archangel roared.. The second attempt to press, to disturb her exit, caused the goalkeeper to make a mistake, she dribbled it and served the first goal to Lucía García. That of Montse Tomé and her players flowed. It was not a duel of attrition as the Swedes proposed and that was an advantage. Under Alexia's command, Aitana Bonmatí began to appear. The result was still short despite the fact that only Wälti had tested Cata Coll with a long shot. On the edge of half-time, the advantage was increased with a center from Carmona that Bonmatí caught with a ball and the goalkeeper could not save despite her attempt.. Upon returning from the locker room, the Spanish girls' walk accelerated.

Closing a dark week

The coach – followed in the box by President Rocha and the CSD president, Víctor Francos – looked for more electricity with Athenea and a shot with Gabarro, in an attempt to distribute efforts. Alexia Putellas' men were the ones who allowed the win. He assisted Aitana to score the third and then saw the fast Real Madrid winger on the run, whose shot was cleared by the Swiss goalkeeper but was pushed by Inma Gabarro to score the fourth goal and close a game and a window from which They will be especially proud. Lehmann couldn't even put a mole on him because he lost his head-to-head match against Cata Coll. Spain raised its hand with Maite Oroz's extraordinary goal, impaling an early shot from the front.

The national team closes a dark week, which began with indignation, lack of sleep, eternal meetings and the need to fight for the future beyond the field. The Nations League, the Paris Olympic Games and the Euro Cup in Switzerland in 2025 looked very far away against a dark blue, almost black horizon.. Political intervention, the sanity of the RFEF and the sisterhood of players and fans from around the world pushed changes that allowed these footballers to once again worry about what happens for 90 minutes on the playing field.. When they do it, there is no doubt that they are the best in the world. And now, they will fight the following battles again, which do not seem to claim coach Montse Tomé as a victim.

Arda Güler is not having luck in his first months as a Real Madrid player. The great promise of Turkish football changed Fenerbahce for the Santiago Bernabéu last July, when he was barely 18 years old, and three months later he has still not been able to make his debut for the white team.

The left-footed midfielder underwent surgery in August to solve some problems in the meniscus of his right knee that hindered him during the start of the preseason, and just now, when he was beginning to regain form and train with the rest of his teammates, he has suffered an injury to the left rectus femoris muscle.

Güler, who was going to return to the squad against Las Palmas, suffered the accident in the last play of training this Tuesday in Valdebebas and passed the medical tests while Carlo Ancelotti spoke in the press room. In front of the media, the Italian, who was still not aware of the new injury, praised him. “He needs to get used to the team's game, but what he has shown in this time is that he is a great talent, an extraordinary talent.”

This injury will keep Güler “between three and four weeks” off the playing field, according to sources consulted by this newspaper.. The Turk felt discomfort in the last action of the session and notified the medical services.

The former Fenerbahce player hopes to return after the national team break in October, at which time Madrid will have to travel to Sánchez Pizjuan (October 21-21), Braga in the Champions League and Montjuic for the classic against Barcelona.