"Cannon": Real Madrid found a surprising star they haven't had for years?
In "AS" they marveled at Carlos Aspi's ability: "Since Higuain, we haven't had a number 9 with such characteristics." The coach is satisfied: "We are starting to look like a team."
Real Madrid finished its preparation matches with a 3:0 victory over Schalke in Germany and can approach the league opener against Espanyol with positive feelings. Jose Mourinho's team concluded the pre-season with three victories, over Ferencvaros, Deportivo, and Schalke, and a draw against Fiorentina.
"It was positive as a team," summarized Mourinho after the match. "Individually, there are players who arrived later and still don't have the same intensity as those who have been here longer. There is a difference in pace, but the ideas are starting to connect. We have players of incredible quality. We are working very well as a team, with the ball and without it. It was a very good test and a great final training session before the real thing starts: competing for real, which is what we love."
Mourinho also addressed the team's situation ahead of the league opener: "At the moment it is difficult to talk about players individually, because we are functioning as a team. We have here only good, very good, or very, very, very good players. We are all excited, and the players too, and that is the most important thing. It is about the small details that make a big difference. Both those who arrived early and those who arrived on the last day prepared well. There is empathy and teamwork. The team is starting to look like a team."
Kylian Mbappe was one of the standouts in the victory and scored before the 12th minute. In "Marca" they were very impressed by the Frenchman and wrote that his presence was part of the best 45 minutes of Real Madrid in the pre-season. Arda Guler and Dean Huijsen also received compliments, while Carlos Aspi completed the performance with another goal.
Aspi continues to be one of the positive surprises of the preparation. In "AS" they dedicated a column to the striker under the headline "Carlos Aspi is a cannon," and noted that "from the moment he entered the pitch, he was a constant headache for the German defense." Also highlighted were his aggressiveness in pressing, the timing of his movement into depth, and his sharpness in front of the goal. According to the column, "since Higuain, Real Madrid has not had a number 9 with Aspi's characteristics," with Mourinho also being very satisfied with what he sees from him so far.
In "AS" they noted that it will be difficult for Aspi to become a regular starter, but they believe he can receive significant minutes already this season. "If Aspi continues with this level of accuracy and competitiveness," it was written, he will force Mourinho to find a place for him in matches and allow him to give rest to the senior players. The column summarized the impression of him in three words: "Young, talented, and self-confident."
