Real Madrid bounced back from their derby defeat to secure victory against Las Palmas yesterday, and Carlo Ancelotti made a number of changes to his starting XI.
This season’s star Jude Bellingham was given a rest, and Brahim Diaz earned his first start of the campaign, having impressed off the bench in recent weeks, and it’s safe to say that he delivered.
How did Brahim Diaz play against Las Palmas?
Brahim slotted straight into Bellingham’s role behind the two strikers Joselu and Rodrygo, and delivered an electric performance.
The 24-year-old opened the scoring on the stroke of halftime with an excellent finish, and was a creative spark throughout as Real Madrid created a lot of chances but found themselves repeatedly denied by goalkeeper Alvaro Valles.
Speaking after the game, Ancelotti praised Brahim for his strong performance and highlighted his key strengths.
“He can play in both positions, as a midfielder with defensive work, and as a second striker: he can do it in other complicated matches as one of the two strikers. He has a lot of quality in his feet,” he stated.
“Brahim’s game and Joselu’s game brought something good. In the first half we lacked a little more accuracy.”
Should Brahim Diaz start against Girona?
The games are coming thick and fast for Los Blancos, who face a surprising top of the table clash against Girona on Saturday.
With Bellingham and potentially Luka Modric vying for a starting spot, with both benched yesterday, it remains to be seen whether Brahim has done enough to keep his place in the team.
Based on his performance levels, he deserves to start, and he may find himself in a deeper role behind Bellingham should he be given the nod on Saturday.
The Spaniard returned to Real Madrid this summer after a successful stint at AC Milan, and he delivered having finally been given a proper chance to shine.