With Mbappé unavailable, the first interesting question of the day was tactical. Would Arbeloa trust a reference striker from the start or stick with the system, just swapping names? He went with Brahim in a 4-4-2 that shifted into a sort of 4-5-1 without the ball — no clear focal point in attack, relying on Valverde and Bellingham to make occasional box runs.

The first half showed why that didn’t work. Madrid struggled to create, Espanyol found some confidence and had a few chances of their own. Surrendering the attack didn’t even improve the defensive structure. 66% possession but no teeth.