
Your Manic Monday Edition of the Daily Merengue
The Open Thread/Daily Merengue is a place where you can discuss anything and everything related to football. Feel free to discuss the topics presented here, or start your very own discussions! The Open thread will be posted every day by one of the mods you’d love to treat to a cinema night: Valyrian Steel, Felipejack, Kung_Fu_Zizou (AKA KFZ), Juninho and, of course… yours truly.
First Win Under Xabi
Let’s gooo… An unorthodox win, after Asencio managed to get himself sent off early in the game. Yet — and in spite of some Tibo heroics — we saw some improvements in Los Blancos’ game. The buildup looked a bit sharper and the linkup play in attack was noticeably improved. The latter point can be seen in highlights of both goals.
What did you think about the game? Anything you noticed?
First win for Xabi Alonso as Real Madrid head coach! pic.twitter.com/yO21AH009g
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 22, 2025
5️⃣ pic.twitter.com/yeO7gn1AQb
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) June 22, 2025
So, is Gonzalo our Current Joselu?
Yeah, he’s not titanic, but the aerial game is commendable, His instincts and link up play are good as well — at least given the sample size. I’m expecting good feedback from Xabi and co regarding the young starlet.
️ Joselu: “I loved Gonzalo García today. His action in Arda Güler’s goal is of a pure nine. He will give a lot to Real Madrid.” @DAZN_ES pic.twitter.com/IN7B92oVez
— Madrid Xtra (@MadridXtra) June 22, 2025