Real Madrid were flat in the derby at the Metropolitano, went down to ten men and then shipped two goals. Los Merengues slipped to a 1-2 defeat.
L'Equipe pointed to one telling detail in its analysis: Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior spent the whole first half occupying the same patch of grass, a snapshot of just how disorganised the Spanish side looked.
Despite the doubts that had surfaced during the week, coach José Mourinho refused to settle the question at kick-off. He started Mbappé and Vinícius alongside Bellingham and Arda Güler in the derby.
Talent is not the issue with that quartet. Balance and effectiveness are, particularly once the level of opposition rises, and the first half confirmed it once again.
L'Equipe continued: "Mbappé and Vinícius positioned themselves in almost the same area throughout the first half, in a scene that clearly exposed Real Madrid's collective problem and the poor distribution of roles within the team."
Rather than giving each man the room to move and exploit his strengths, the pair kept overlapping. That blunted Madrid's attack and, once more, laid bare a lack of balance against an opponent willing to press and turn the screw.
The identical positioning of Mbappé and Vinícius, then, went far beyond two players drifting into the same zone. It reflected the muddled organisation dogging Real Madrid at a moment when they needed clearer ideas and better-defined roles to stamp their style on the game.
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