Manchester United 2-1 Real Madrid:3 Talking points

Manchester United had a disappointing preseason in the United States. United have only won two games out of five preseason games in the States. Mourinho has been under a lot of criticism after he blamed the young players of the squad after suffering a humiliating defeat at the hands of Liverpool.

After a shameful loss against Liverpool, United's 2-1 win against Real Madrid in the International Champions Cup will certainly boost the confidence of the squad going into the new season.

Despite winning only two games, United will be happy as they beat Champions League winner of last three seasons Real Madrid. Mourinho would have felt a sigh of relief after the first normal time win in the preseason. Mourinho started out with a 5-3-2 formation. McTominay partnered Fosu-Mensah and Bailly in the middle of the defence. Luke Shaw and Matteo Darmian resumed their duties as left-wing back and right-wing back respectively. Mourinho opted to start with the midfielders Pereira, Herrera, and new signing Fred, who got his first start. Sanchez partnered with Mata in the attack.

Julen Lopetegui would not have expected to start his life at Real with a loss. Real Madrid began their first preseason game with a 2-1 loss against Manchester United. Real needs to fill the shoes of Cristiano Ronaldo who left for Juventus helping Real win three consecutive Champions League. Real Madrid started with strong starting XI.

Lopetegui implemented 4-2-3-1 formation. Madrid's second choice keeper of last season Casilla was deployed between the sticks. Theo Hernandez, Javi Sanchez, Jesus Vallejo and new signing Odriozala were included in the defence. Vinicius Junior who signed from Flamengo partnered with Gareth Bale and Dani Ceballos in the midfield with Benzema as the lone striker.

We take look at 3 points from the game:

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#1 New United recruit Fred faired well

Fred impressed in his first start in United shirt.

Fred signed for United from Shakhtar Donetsk in a £52m move. Fred only played for 20 mins against Liverpool which is quite less to reach to judgement.

The new United recruit looked more involved in the game than any other United player. He looked calm under pressure and was good with the ball. He even backtracked when needed. He was on point with the long balls as well.

Fred is known for his passing skills. His defensive contribution is quite good which will prove to be a positive since Mourinho is known for defensive play. He will play quite an important role in the squad.

Mourinho will be quite happy with Fred's performance.

#2 Madrid needs some time to settle without Ronaldo

It is almost impossible to replace Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo who has been their most important player in recent memory left Real Madrid for Juventus. Madrid did everything right in the game, but their finishing was not up to the mark. This can be a huge problem for them in the following season.

Ronaldo helped Real win four Champions League titles in the last five years which is phenomenal given the competitiveness of the competition. While Ronaldo was in Madrid, they had one of the best finishers in the world. Now that Ronaldo has left for Juventus, Madrid will need some time to settle.

Bale who was not playing regularly for Madrid last season will take some time to bring back his form. Bale is the kind of player that has a lot of qualities. He can dribble, score acrobatic goals and even score spectacular freekicks.

Benzema is good on the ball but is often criticised for his finishing. He needs to work hard on his finishing if he wants to continue playing for Madrid.

Against United, Madrid had 16 shots out which only three were on target. This indicates how much they will miss Ronaldo in the finishing department.

#3 Lopetegui will bring passing game to Madrid

Isco and Modric will play an important role in the team

Julen Lopetegui is a Spanish football manager who is not quite experienced in managing big clubs. Madrid fans criticised the club management when Zidane was appointed as their manager. Though Zidane was not experienced, he did wonders at the club guiding them to three consecutive Champions League titles which happened for the first time in the Champions League era.

Julen Lopetegui started his Madrid career with a loss, there were a number of positives from the game. Spanish managers are often considered as the most technical ones. Julen Lopetegui did a fantastic job with Spain but was sacked after a short amount of time due to some management issue. Lopetegui's Madrid will revolve around some of the best midfielders comprising of Isco, Luka Modric and Toni Kroos.

Madrid kept 79% possession of the ball in their first preseason game against Manchester United. Lopetegui was successful in implementing his style of playing a passing game. Madrid attempted 743 passes with 92% accuracy which helped them control the game.

Though Madrid lost the game, they will surely take some positives from the game and try to improve in the next match.