Three talking points ahead of Real Madrid vs Real Oviedo | La Liga MD3 6

The Bernabeu crowd have made their dissatisfaction at the team’s performances clear with their reception over the past few months, and if those performances received the magnitude of boos they did, the atmosphere tomorrow will be very hostile.

Mbappe returns

Kylian Mbappe is back. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)

A lot was said about Kylian Mbappe’s absence for last week’s game against Barcelona, with reports suggesting that he decided to withdraw after learning of not starting in El Clasico.

The decision, however, was purely made keeping the Frenchman’s well-being in mind given that he is returning from injury, and he is now set to be back in Alvaro Arbeloa’s plans tomorrow night.

Real Madrid’s attack looked bleak against Barcelona with Vinicius Jr. and Gonzalo Garcia severely underperforming and Brahim Diaz being the only player making any threatening attacks in the final third.

With Mbappe back available, it remains to be seen which player the Frenchman arrives to replace. More importantly, it will be interesting to see how the team fare with the 27-year-old back in the dynamics.

While there is no doubt that the Frenchman is the team’s biggest threat in front of goal, there is an increasing sense of understanding that his lack of work rate off the ball is affecting them as a group as well.

Mbappe, thus, must look to adapt his ways and ensure that he can contribute to the team’s cause off the ball as well, especially with a new manager coming in soon.

A need to find purpose

The defeat to Barcelona on Sunday marked the end of Real Madrid’s season for all practical purposes, but what is essential for the men in white is that the squad do not see it that way.

There may indeed not be much to play for in terms of accolades or silverware, but that does not mean the game is not without purpose, especially given the situation the club are in.

Wholesale changes are coming in the summer, right from the dressing room to the managerial position. With the internal tensions in the squad at an all-time high, moreover, the administration see a real need for the players to be morally policed.

As a result of all the aforementioned factors, no player is safe at Real Madrid at this point barring a very few set of names. For all the others, the three remaining games will be crucial.

With the team’s project set for a massive change in direction in June, the administration will look to make sales and new signings, and every minute players receive is nothing short of an audition to stake a claim for a place next season.

It is, thus, vital that players find purpose where there seemingly isn’t any. Their mentality will be everything.