Three questions and three answers from Real Madrid 4-1 Elche

Real Madrid wrapped up a thumping 4-1 win over Elche in La Liga at the Bernabéu on Saturday night as defenders Antonio Rüdiger and Dean Huijsen got in the act alongside a powerful hit from Fede Valverde and a breathtaking long-range strike from Arda Güler, with only a Manuel Ángel own goal tarnishing the scoreline.

1. How much would Álvaro Arbeloa rotate?

With the second leg against Manchester City in England set to kick off 72 hours after this game, it was always likely that Álvaro Arbeloa would be forced into some changes to freshen up his side. In reality, there were very few. Despite MARCA’s speculative assumption of a possible line-up featuring even Andriy Lunin earlier this week, the side was almost full-strength. Ferland Mendy remains sidelined and couldn’t repeat, but only two other players from the side to face Manchester City didn’t start. Trent Alexander-Arnold was benched for captain Dani Carvajal, while Eduardo Camavinga came in for Arda Güler. It’s also true that Raúl Asencio, who may have come in, was forced out with an injury on Saturday morning. It was perhaps surprising not to see more of a mix up, such as Gonzalo García coming into the side, but García was the only outfield first-team player not to have played from the start either on Wednesday or on Saturday night.

2. Would Fede Valverde be able to keep up his incredible form?

With eight goal involvements in his last seven games, and having scored Real Madrid’s last four goals in a row, Fede Valverde was certainly carrying plenty of momentum coming into this game. The Uruguayan has been unleashed in this more offensive role, operating almost as a right winger, and has reaped the rewards of it. Here, his strike from the edge of the box was vintage Fede Valverde, the kind of rocket into the top corner that we have almost become used to seeing from him, even when it was worth only 0.13 xG. It took his tally for the season to nine goals, and added to 12 assists, gives him a new record for goal involvements in a single season at Real Madrid with 21 in 46 games so far this campaign.

3. Could Real Madrid record their second clean sheet in a row for the first time since October?

Not since 1-0 wins over Getafe and Juventus on October 22nd and 25th, 2025, have Real Madrid kept back-to-back clean sheets this season. The campaign began with consecutive clean sheets against Osasuna and Real Oviedo in August, and Xabi Alonso’s side repeated the feat in October, but not since then have they pulled it off. Arbeloa has sought to correct the defensive issues, but has too often come unstuck by needless individual errors and consolation goals, with no team yet scoring more than a single goal against Real Madrid at the Bernabéu since Manchester City’s visit in December. That was the case again here, with another mistake, this team by Eduardo Camavinga, teeing up a series of unfortunate interventions as Diego Aguado’s tackle took an unkind deflection and Manuel Ángel turned the ball into his own net. The wait goes on.

1. How many of these kids are here to stay?

For the first time in Real Madrid’s history, a top flight league game featured six players born in Spain aged under 21, all six having come through La Fábrica in Gonzalo García, Manuel Ángel, Diego Aguado, Daniel Yáñez, Thiago Pitarch and César Palacios. Yáñez stole many of the headlines by claiming an assist for his pinpoint cross delivered onto the head of Dean Huijsen, but all of the youth players made a strong impression as they were granted significant game time and far more than a cameo off the bench. Manuel Ángel scored an own goal through pure misfortune and the mistake which led to that goal originated from the far more experienced Eduardo Camavinga. Arbeloa is clearly a believer in this generation and is keen to give them chances, especially in the cases of Thiago, Ángel and Palacios, who are now regulars in the squad. And all the while, Castilla won 4-0 over Lugo to move into the promotion play-offs in Primera RFEF.

2. How important could that wonder goal be for Arda Güler?

It’s been some time since a goal like Arda Güler’s 60-yard strike at the Bernabéu. Post-match, Brahim Díaz spoke about the goal and pointed to his recent effort against Osasuna, from closer but which rocked the crossbar. This time, the Turkish midfielder found the back of the net, and celebrated with coach Arbeloa on the sidelines after being swarmed by his team-mates. It was his second league game in a row with a goal involvement, having assisted Aurélien Tchouameni’s goal against Celta Vigo a week ago. Before that, he hadn’t assisted in the league since mid-January or scored since September. With Thiago Pitarch emerging, Fede Valverde moving into a more advanced role, and Jude Bellingham getting closer to a return, the time really is now for Güler to make a statement S he did with this strike.

3. What impact will this have on Tuesday night’s second leg against Manchester City?

This was almost exactly what Arbeloa would have been hoping for. Real Madrid were in cruise control for much of the game and were able to take their foot off the gas and rest key players by taking off the likes of Vinícius Júnior, Fede Valverde, Antonio Rüdiger and Aurélien Tchouameni on the hour mark and give them substantial recovery time. If anything, the addition of a sixth substitution, courtesy of the concussion protocol activated when Buba Sangaré was forced off for Elche, aided this even further. With goals from defence and midfield, no longer reliant on Kylian Mbappé or Vinícius Júnior, tie in with the impact of the youngsters to show that this squad has strength in depth and will give a real morale boost to head into the second leg at the Etihad Stadium either a lead to defend.