Jude Bellingham, Federico Valverde, Yan Diomande: Five things we learned from Atletico Madrid 2-1 Real Madrid

Jude Bellingham, Federico Valverde, Yan Diomande: Five things we learned from Atletico Madrid 2-1 Real Madrid Real Madrid fell to their second defeat of the season on Sunday, with Atletico Madrid winning the Madrid derby 2-1 . Second half strikes from Alejandro Grimaldo and Giuliano Simeone ensured a deserved defeat for Jose Mourinho’s side, who have been really struggling to perform at their best level over the last few weeks. Here are five main takeaways from events at the RiyadhAir Metropolitano. Bellingham deserves title of Real Madrid’s best player There was only one starting outfield Real Madrid player at the RiyadhAir Metropolitano that could leave with their head held high, and that was Jude Bellingham. The Englishman was everywhere, and while he was not able to do much in attack, he tried to get things going, which is more than can be said for the rest of his teammates. Right now, it is not controversial to say that he is Real Madrid’s best player. Kylian Mbappe is arguably the best goalscorer on the planet, but as an all-round talent, Bellingham has been the top performer so far this season. Valverde-Tchouameni partnership does not work Sunday’s match was another where Real Madrid gave up far too much control, and that was down to their poor handling in midfield. It’s clear that a midfield pairing of Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni is not working out right now, although the wider problem is that the club did not decide to sign a controller in the summer. After the international break, it would be no surprise if Bernardo Silva or Eduardo Camavinga returned to the line-up, but looking further ahead, Real Madrid should be entering the transfer market going into January. Courtois is the best goalkeeper in the world Had it not been for Thibaut Courtois, Real Madrid would have been humiliated at the RiyadhAir Metropolitano. The Belgian goalkeeper has never disappointed when he’s been called upon, and that was the case again here, as he made a number of top saves in the second half to stop Atleti scoring four or five goals. It’s reassuring that Real Madrid know they can rely on Courtois, but it is a problem that they need to rely on him as often as they do. Diomande deserves to be a starter for Real Madrid After starting the last two matches, Yan Diomande was dropped to the bench against Atleti, and it was a decision that backfired for Mourinho. Real Madrid were much more dangerous in attack after he came on, which begs the question: why did he not start? It’s clear right now that Vinicius Junior is devoid of confidence, and a spell out of the team would do him well. Diomande surely has chances to seize his position after the international break, although it remains to be seen whether that happens. Cucurella needs to get his act together When Marc Cucurella joined from Chelsea in the summer, many Real Madrid supporters expected that he would end their long-standing left-back woes. However, he’s been far from his best since arriving, and against Atleti, he delivered his worst performance. He must use the international break to play himself back into form, otherwise he risks being dropped for Alvaro Carreras.