Mourinho surprises by starting Bellingham and Güler together

José Mourinho's return to the Real Madrid dugout carried one big question mark: how he would manage minutes among his most gifted attacking midfielders. Most expected Jude Bellingham and Arda Güler would not be able to share the starting eleven, yet the Portuguese coach proved that theory wrong in his league debut against Espanyol, a match Real Madrid eventually won thanks to a stoppage-time goal.

• Mourinho started Bellingham and Güler together despite widespread assumptions they couldn't coexist in the same eleven.
• Bellingham kept his advanced, late-arriving role, similar to the one that made him shine at the last World Cup.
• Güler shifted to the right flank as a false winger and ended up being Real Madrid's main creative outlet.
• Their combination produced Real Madrid's opening goal, scored by Bellingham after a cross from the Turkish playmaker.
• Espanyol equalized and the match was decided in the 90th minute by a goal from Espí, after both Güler and Bellingham had been substituted.

Mourinho's gamble: Bellingham and Güler in the same eleven

Much of the pre-match buzz centered on the first lineup Mourinho would unveil in his new spell in charge of Real Madrid. Given the depth of creative talent at his disposal, logic suggested one of his two most dynamic attacking midfielders would have to be left out. Instead, the Portuguese manager refused to sacrifice either of them, fielding both from kickoff in a call that defied most predictions.

Bellingham retained his usual role, the one that has allowed him to shine on the biggest stages with the England national team: operating from a deeper starting point with a clear instinct to arrive late into the box. It was Güler who had to adapt, giving up his usual playmaking spot to line up on the right flank as an unconventional winger, more focused on combining and touching the ball than on taking on defenders one-on-one.

Güler, the engine of Real Madrid's attack from the right

Despite playing out of position, the Turkish international ended up being the player with the greatest influence on Real Madrid's build-up play. His ability to combine in tight spaces and his vision allowed him to dictate the attacking rhythm, even ahead of Bernardo Silva, who sat deeper and had fewer touches than Güler for much of the game.

That hierarchy in the buildup was evident in the opening goal. A free-kick taken by Güler from the left side of Real Madrid's attack turned into a precise, curling cross that Bellingham headed home, placing the ball out of the goalkeeper's reach. It was only the 9th minute, and Real Madrid were simply confirming the dominance they had shown from the opening whistle.

Early control that faded as the half progressed

For roughly the first half hour, Real Madrid were clearly superior to an Espanyol side that could barely get near the hosts' penalty area. However, that grip loosened as the first half wore on, allowing the visitors to regain territory and confidence. The result of that resurgence was the equalizing goal, which leveled a match that had earlier looked all but settled in Real Madrid's favor.

The equalizer forced the home side to fight uphill for much of the second half, in a contest that stayed undecided almost until the final whistle. The resolution came in the dying seconds, when Espí found the back of the net to seal Real Madrid's first three points of this LaLiga campaign.

Mourinho's adjustments: from the wings to midfield

Espí's decisive goal came without any direct involvement from Bellingham or Güler, both of whom Mourinho had already withdrawn by the time the play unfolded. The Turkish playmaker was the first to leave the pitch, a call that left the team without its main creative spark beyond Bernardo Silva's occasional forward contributions.

Bellingham's substitution followed shortly after, completely reshaping the team's structure. Real Madrid finished the match with four out-and-out forwards on the pitch: Yan Diomande stationed on the right flank and Espí forming a strike partnership alongside Kylian Mbappé, who struggled throughout the afternoon. With that shift, Mourinho abandoned his initial 4-2-3-1 setup, leaving just two central midfielders, Fede Valverde and Eduardo Camavinga, to shoulder the workload in the middle of the park.

The Portuguese coach's tinkering also extended to the back line, where both full-backs were swapped out. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Marc Cucurella, both starters, made way for Denzel Dumfries, who turned in a solid performance, and Álvaro Carreras. Still, it was the introduction of Espí that ultimately proved decisive on the scoreboard, capping off a win built on the connection between Güler and Bellingham, the biggest tactical surprise of Mourinho's league debut.