Real Madrid Player Ratings vs Elche: Why the hero gets no rating

September 15, 2026 Olaoluwa Nwobodo 0 Comments

Real Madrid had a scare against Elche, and it wasn’t their first of the season. The Galacticos found themselves in this same spot on Matchday 1, and needed to be bailed out in the 90th minute. The same man came to the rescue both times: Carlos Espi.

The Real Madrid No. 19 has not started a game for Jose Mourinho’s side this season, yet he is responsible for two wins out of five in LaLiga. This game against Elche was not that different from previous ones this season, with some stellar performances, sprinkled with some rubbish ones. Let’s see how the away side faired:

Thibaut Courtois: 6/10

He should be doing better. On a day Madrid controlled proceedings, they still managed to concede twice, and not from spectacular chances either. For one of the goals, you couldn’t really blame him. Overall he doesn’t take the largest portion of blame for the conceded goals.

Trent Alexander-Arnold: 7/10

Alexander-Arnold carried the ball well. His distribution was good, as expected. He was solid defensively too, and was only taken off as a tactical decision. He certainly deserved to stay on the pitch more than his colleague on the other flank.

Ibrahima Konate: 6/10

Konate was poor in his ground duels, and you could trace the weak defensive showing to this. Of course, he’s not the sole cause, but he contributed. His distribution was great, however, but if the former Liverpool centerback should be dominating any opponent, it should be Elche.

Dean Huijsen: 6.5/10

Madrid was often on the front foot, so he’d have relaxed some, perhaps a bit too much. His passing was as good as his partner’s, and defensively his positioning was quite good. He made crucial interceptions, clearances and blocks.

Marc Cucurella: 5/10

No one knows if this is intentional, but Mourinho just fielded an all Premier League-produced backline. Cucurella was poor though. He won his duels, but was found wanting in the final third. His passing was good, but his crossing was abysmal.

Fede Valverde: 7/10

If the defensive problems came from the midfield, Valverde did not contribute to it. He was solid, all things considered. His passing was very good, he read the game well, and played a role in defending too, blocking shots and making clearances. He carried the ball well and won his duels.

Aurelien Tchouameni: 7/10

Tchouameni was also solid defensively. Like Valverde, his distribution was good, he was present in defensive situations, and won most of his duels. He has not been getting playing time under Mourinho, and this was a good chance to give the manager a selection headache.

Yan Diomande: 8.5/10

Diomande was exceptional. He was a nightmare for the Elche defenders, and up until he was substituted out, the home side had no answers for him. The new signing completed a whopping 7/9 dribbles, won both tackles he contested, and won 12/18 ground duels on the night. It didn’t stop there though. He was just as effective in the final third, creating three chances and providing the perfect assist for Kylian Mbappe’s goal.

Arda Guler: 7.5/10

Guler is gradually turning into a creative monster. And no, that’s not an exaggeration either. Though his dribbling was poor, and his shooting average, his chance creation was worth noting. The Turkiye international created two big chances, bringing his season total to eight in the league. He has also averaged 4.5 chances created per game, which is simply ridiculous.

Vinicius Junior: 4/10

As always, Vini posed a threat to Elche, and they often had to foul him to get him off the ball, however, the Real Madrid No. 7 didn’t do much else. The Brazil international managed only 1/5 shots on target, missed two big chances, and created nothing.

Kylian Mbappe: 8.5/10

Like Vini, Mbappe was fouled a lot, and couldn’t really complete any dribbles. However, unlike his Brazilian colleague, he made his impact unforgettable in the final third. He scored the goal that put the away side two goals up, not knowing that he’d still need to be fighting for three points come the 90th minute. He also provided the assist that sealed the win for Mourinho’s men.

Jude Bellingham (68’): 8/10

Bellingham made a good impact when he came on. He passed the ball well, won all his duels, tackles, and dribbles. He was due a rest, which explains why he didn’t start the game.

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Brahim Diaz (68’): 7/10

Diaz did as much as he could for ball retention when he came on, but he didn’t have many chances to impact the game.

Endrick (86’): N/A

With just four minutes of regulation time to go, the much talked about youngster couldn’t do much even if he wanted to. By the time he came on, Elche was swamping Madrid.

Carlos Espi (87’): N/A

Though he didn’t get a rating because he didn’t play up to 10 minutes, his impact decided the game. His winner was even more impressive considering he came on with three minutes to go. He got a square pass from Mbappe in the 94th minute and kept his cool.

Denzel Dumfries (90’): N/A

Dumfries did nothing. Not that he was expected to, considering the time he came on.

Jose Mourinho: 7.5/10

Mourinho should get some credit for how easily Madrid was able to create great chances. The team took 20 shots, averaging about 0.18 xG per shot, which is impressive. Los Blancos were also not open defensively, they just didn’t do well enough in moments. Considering it’s an away game, he’d take the win, but he needs to stop his team from conceding needless goals, as that has plagued his team from Matchday 1.

Conclusion

Due to Madrid’s defensive woes, they remain in second place with 15 points, despite having played one more game than the league leaders FC Barcelona. Still tied on points, Hansi Flick’s men would need to avoid defeat to separate themselves from last season’s runners-up.