According to AS, Real Madrid's defense consisted of three new summer signings after Cucurella was introduced in the second half.

In the 35th minute, Real Sociedad began pressing Real Madrid's penalty area. Earlier, Courtois had saved a shot from Oyarzabal in the 10th minute. After that, Real Madrid's goalkeeper faced little threat until the ball fell to Sergio Gomez, who struck a volley that went slightly wide of Real Madrid's goal.

Mourinho immediately left the bench, demanding his defenders increase their focus. At that moment, the coaching staff began warming up five players: Cucurella, Camavinga, Brahim, Trent, and Espi. Mourinho later explained: "I always do this around the 35th minute. I like everyone to be ready by halftime, as it's an instruction for everyone."

At the start of the second half, the score was 1-1, and Alvaro Carreras was replaced by Cucurella, who made his Real Madrid debut at the Bernabéu. With this change, Real Madrid's defense became four defenders, three of whom are summer signings: Dumfries and Cucurella on the flanks, and Heysen, who joined last summer, as left center-back.

Mourinho added in an interview with media: "Carreras was substituted because he received a yellow card for a foul on Kubo in the 10th minute." However, rotation options for this defensive line appear limited. Rüdiger may rotate with Kounde or Heysen before Militão returns; the Portuguese coach also mentioned last week that Eder and Rodrygo will be absent for an extended period.

However, in important matches, these four players are expected to form the core defensive line. Dumfries is accustomed to defending in a five-back system, and his arrival has pushed Trent to right-back; Cucurella's presence on the left allows the team's defense to press higher overall, with attacking-defending transitions and high pressing becoming more active. This also helps the midfield and forwards execute the high pressing Mourinho desires. The data also shows some interesting points.

According to Opta, Dumfries made 15 passes in the attacking third, ranking fifth on the team, fewer than Güler's 25, Mbappé's 22, Valverde's 22, and Bernardo's 17; Kounde won the most duels with 2, tied with Cucurella; Heysen completed 69 passes with a success rate of 95.8% from 72 attempts, the highest on the pitch.

Carreras also performed well, with the Galician player making 4 interceptions, tied with Heysen. Real Madrid's defense collectively made 15 interceptions, 7 of which occurred in Real Sociedad's half. Defensively, they limited Courtois to just 3 shots faced, the same as against Espanyol.

Nevertheless, this is still not a low number for a team coached by Mourinho. In the 2010-11 season, Mourinho's team recorded 30 clean sheets: 16 goals conceded in 38 league matches, 8 goals conceded in 12 Champions League matches, and 6 goals conceded in 9 Copa del Rey matches, totaling 30 clean sheets in 59 matches, more than half.

Before the next international break, Real Madrid's defensive line will likely continue to solidify in upcoming matches against Malaga, Betis, their first Champions League match, Rayo Vallecano, and Elche, before traveling to Wanda Metropolitano for the Madrid derby. Real Madrid is building a new wall before the real battle begins.

Diterjemahkan oleh AI.

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