Los Blancos’ powerful attack didn’t perform as well as Carlo Ancelotti’s team had hoped, as they lost points on the first weekend.

Kylian Mbappe had a disappointing start to the La Liga season, and the other big names around him didn’t do much to help. Real Madrid were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw with Mallorca to start the season.

A showing that many thought would make a statement turned out to be 90 minutes of small worries. Los Blancos’ star-studded front three had a lot of ball but didn’t do much with it when it mattered.

In the first few minutes, Madrid did look lively, as Mbappe and Vinicius Jr. caused problems for a Mallorca defence that was already stretched thin. Rodrygo did score the first goal, though. He cut inside his defender and curled a shot into the top corner.

Before halftime, the home team almost tied the game when Thibaut Courtois made a mistake that gave Vedat Muriqi a clear chance, but Antonio Rudiger, who played great that night, hit the ball behind. Still, Muriqi made up for it after the break when he sneaked in from a corner to head the ball past Courtois, who couldn’t do anything.

Madrid’s new-look front three should have been able to show off their skills after that. Instead, they struggled through the last few minutes, only making half-chances and not being able to get past a well-organised Mallorca block. A tired Vinicius was lying on the sidelines, a mad Jude Bellingham watched from the bench, and Ferland Mendy was sent off for a horrible tackle in the last seconds.

Mbappe, on the other hand, will have to deal with the fact that he didn’t make an effect on his Madrid debut.

Goalkeeper & Defence

Thibaut Courtois (5/10):

A shaky moment almost gifted Mallorca a goal, and he didn’t offer too much security otherwise. An off-night.

Dani Carvajal (6/10):

Quick and scrappy on the right, but didn’t offer too much going forward.

Eder Militao (6/10):

A bit shaky at times, with the odd loose touch or poor pass marring his game. Still short of his best post-ACL injury.

Antonio Rudiger (8/10):

An imperious force at the back. Jumped for all of his headers and won countless duels.

Ferland Mendy (5/10):

Shielded well – Mallorca had pretty much nothing down his wing. A late red card marred his evening.

Midfield

Aurelien Tchouameni (6/10):

Very tidy in his passing, even if he didn’t advance the ball forward much. Sacrificed for the more attacking Modric after an hour.

Federico Valverde (5/10):

A rare poor showing from the Uruguayan, who wasn’t as clean as usual in his passing, and missed a few tackles. Will need to be better with Kroos gone.

Jude Bellingham (7/10):

Made an impact in deeper areas and connected with the front three effectively. He’s always involved – no matter where he starts.

Attack

Rodrygo (7/10):

Took his goal wonderfully, and was probably the most dangerous of the front three. Who says he’s the odd man out?

Kylian Mbappe (6/10):

Made all kinds of interesting runs, but never really got the clear chance – or half-chance – he needed to make things happen.

Vinicius Jr (6/10):

Created four chances, and assisted Rodrygo’s goal, but wasn’t effective enough when it came to doing it himself.

Subs & Manager

Luka Modric (6/10):

Floated around, found some nice angles, but never the killer pass.

Arda Guler (N/A):

No time to make an impact.

Lucas Vazquez (N/A):

On for the final five minutes.

Brahim Diaz (N/A):

Barely had a kick.

Carlo Ancelotti (5/10):

Picked his strongest XI – as expected – but didn’t really change anything as points slipped away. Madrid didn’t create enough chances, and he will have some serious pondering to do in the coming weeks to get the best out of his attackers.