This Real Madrid is still not flawless. Sometimes they are unstoppable, other times they seem lethargic. For example, against Rayo Vallecano, they can deliver 45 minutes of brilliant play, but also perform more passively and with lack of energy, as in the other 45 minutes of that match. Yes, this team has two faces, but it possesses extreme lethality consistently. Against Rayo Vallecano, they proved it: the attack, though intermittent, was lethal enough, perfectly reflecting the two realities the team faces.

This is precisely the regular firepower Real Madrid displays at home in the league: a 4-1 victory over Real Sociedad, a 4-0 victory over Málaga, bringing their total to 16 goals in 6 matches. In the last 10 seasons, such statistics have appeared only 3 times. To find a better start, you have to go back to the 2016-17 season, when they scored 17 goals in their first 6 matches.

When did Real Madrid last have a similar home start? The 2011-12 season. How many goals did they score in their first 6 matches then? 15 goals. That was the "record-breaking league": 100 points, 121 goals. Mourinho's new Real Madrid is moving at the pace of that old Real Madrid.

No matter how good the start is, if there are no trophies at the end, everything comes to nothing. But for now, the reality is this: before the future arrives, their start is already better than back then. That season eventually became historic, but in the early stages, they were first held back by Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup: 2-2 at the Bernabéu, 2-3 at the Camp Nou; they also lost 0-1 to Levante in the league.

So far, Real Madrid has achieved 5 victories and 1 defeat, with the only setback coming from a 1-0 loss to Real Betis. That match featured heroic saves by Valles, as well as Real Madrid, especially Mbappé, repeatedly squandering chances. A penalty in stoppage time could have helped the team equalize, and there were several other opportunities that ultimately came to nothing.

This feeling is backed by data. Against Real Betis, Real Madrid's expected goals reached 3.16, yet they failed to score a single goal. It is precisely this statistic that most satisfies Mourinho and indicates the team still has room for improvement. Because although Real Madrid scores many goals, they also miss too many chances; in fact, they waste more than any other team.

According to data provided by BeSoccer Pro to AS, Real Madrid has the worst expected goals differential in La Liga, and the gap is quite significant. The Whites have already scored 14 goals in the league, but according to advanced statistics, they should have scored 5.92 more. They are followed by Osasuna (-4.69), Valencia (-3.59), Málaga (-3.4)... If their shot accuracy were better, Real Madrid would now be close to 20 goals.

The difference becomes even more evident when compared to Barcelona. Flick's team has taken 96 shots, 42 on target, scoring 21 goals; Mourinho's team has taken 104 shots, 46 on target, but has scored 7 fewer goals than their opponents. Real Madrid's shot conversion percentage is 13.5%, while Barcelona's reaches 21.9%.

"We score many goals, but we also miss too many chances," Mourinho said after the 4-1 victory over Rayo Vallecano. He is not concerned about the team's scattered shot accuracy; quite the opposite.

"I also told the team that one day, someone will pay for the chances we waste; one day, we'll score six or seven goals," he replied with a slight smile.

This statement has a component of half-joking, but it is not entirely a joke. He then offered an explanation: "We are a team that can handle many situations, with a fast pace, capable of recovering possession and accelerating quickly. Obviously, the higher the speed, the harder it is to find the target..."

In summary: calm, pause, then calm again.

According to AS, after the matches against Betis and Inter Milan, Mourinho has been conveying this message to his players almost daily. He emphasizes it repeatedly because he does not want this issue, which the Setúbal native sees as merely a phase, to amplify further. In those two matches, shot accuracy was the most obvious "elephant in the room."

Afterward, the Portuguese coach also publicly defended his players: "Inter Milan could have scored 4 goals against us, but we could have scored 8. Some people understand football as well as I do, but they didn't say that. Why? Are they not happy that we won?"

This is still Mourinho's familiar style.

Today's Real Madrid is still in its formative stages. The matches are sometimes intermittent, sometimes not brilliant enough, but always full of threat. Mbappé has scored 7 goals and missed a penalty; Vinicius, accustomed to scoring double-digit goals in a season, currently has only 1; apart from Kylian, only Bellingham has scored a brace; Diomande has yet to roar...

Mourinho's Real Madrid is scoring at the pace of the "record-breaking league," and they could score even more.

Traducido por IA.

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