Cucurella in line for Real Madrid start after Mourinho’s Carreras decision

Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has confirmed that Marc Cucurella will start at left-back against Malaga in La Liga on Sunday, with Alvaro Carreras set to drop to the bench after starting the club’s opening two league matches against Espanyol and Real Sociedad.

Carreras’ omission follows a difficult first half in Real Madrid’s previous game, when he was booked in the 10th minute and was replaced by Cucurella at half-time.

Spanish newspaper AS reported that Carreras could have done more in the build-up to Real Sociedad’s equalising goal. The left-back was among the players who attracted attention during a match in which Real Madrid’s performance declined after a promising start.

The report said Carreras completed only 33% of his passes into the final third, lost possession six times and picked up an early yellow card. Those figures contributed to him being held partly responsible for Real Sociedad’s goal, although the main error was attributed to Sucic.

Carreras was slow to close down Sucic and did not reach the correct position to block his shot. Those factors led Mourinho to make the half-time change, although the Portuguese manager explained the substitution by pointing primarily to the booking.

“I decided to bring on Cucurella instead of Carreras because of the yellow card. It was dangerous in the one-on-one duel with Kubo,” Mourinho said.

AS used the decision to underline its view that Mourinho does not favour any player automatically. “Mourinho is not tied to anyone, and he proved that during Real Madrid’s match against Real Sociedad,” the newspaper wrote. “After a first half full of positives and negatives, the coach decided to replace Alvaro Carreras at half-time.”

Cucurella’s opportunity comes after a delayed start to his involvement with the squad. The Spain international was one of the last Real Madrid players to join pre-season preparations because of his participation in the World Cup.

Despite having been a Real Madrid player for only 17 days, Cucurella has already featured in three matches. Those appearances include the club’s final friendly against Schalke and Real Madrid’s first two league games.

He has accumulated 100 minutes of playing time and is now expected to make his first start against Malaga.

Cucurella made a significant impact after replacing Carreras against Real Sociedad. He won 100% of his tackles, recovered possession three times and was not dribbled past on a single occasion.

Real Madrid’s left flank also became a much greater attacking threat once Cucurella entered the game. The team turned a 1-1 scoreline into a 4-1 victory in less than 35 minutes after the restart.

Mourinho’s selection means Carreras will begin Sunday’s match on the substitutes’ bench, while Cucurella is set to make his first league start for Real Madrid.

The development comes as discussion continues around Real Madrid’s early-season team selection, with Mourinho’s half-time decisions against Real Sociedad demonstrating that starting places are not guaranteed.

The wider subjects and latest football news can also be discussed in greater depth on the Kooora forums.