La Liga Round 3: How Will Real Madrid and Mbappé Find Their Rhythm? Girona Struggles to Maintain Last Season’s Form

The third round of La Liga continued in the early hours of August 30th, with plenty of excitement and some pressing questions emerging around two key fixtures: Real Madrid's clash with Las Palmas and Girona's showdown against Osasuna. As the season progresses, it's clear that the reigning champions Real Madrid are feeling the heat, especially with Kylian Mbappé struggling to adapt to his new role. Meanwhile, Girona, last season's surprise package, faces the daunting task of replicating their previous success amidst significant squad changes.

Real Madrid vs. Las Palmas: Can Ancelotti Unlock Mbappé’s Full Potential?

The new season has only just begun, but Real Madrid already appears to be under pressure. The reigning champions were held to a draw in their opening match against Mallorca, and it took them until the second half of their second game to find their scoring touch. In contrast, their arch-rivals Barcelona have started strongly, achieving three consecutive victories. New signing Dani Olmo made an immediate impact by scoring the winning goal in his La Liga debut, and Barcelona seems to be gelling faster than their Madrid counterparts. This has placed added pressure on Carlo Ancelotti and his star forward, Kylian Mbappé.

The pressure is not only reflected in the league standings but also in the team's overall play. In their last home game against Valladolid, Mbappé and his teammates showed signs of a lack of cohesion. The timing of the passes often didn’t match Mbappé’s runs, leaving the Frenchman looking out of sync with the rest of the squad. In his previous stints with Paris Saint-Germain and the French national team, Mbappé was often tasked with dribbling past defenders or orchestrating plays, and he has become accustomed to playing in this style. However, at Real Madrid, where Vinícius Júnior and others are already responsible for much of the team’s creative play, Mbappé’s role has shifted to that of a pure finisher.

Mbappé has never been the type of striker who simply waits for chances in the box—a "poacher," if you will. Therefore, he will certainly need time to adjust to this role. The question now is whether Ancelotti will consider giving him more opportunities to be involved in the build-up play, allowing him to use his pace and dribbling skills more effectively, rather than limiting him to goal-scoring duties alone.

Las Palmas: Can They Overcome Their Slow Start?

As for their opponents, Las Palmas, a second-year team in La Liga, comfortably secured their status last season with 40 points, largely because the three relegated teams performed poorly. To put this into perspective, Las Palmas finished 7 points clear of the relegation zone with 40 points, while the previous season, Valladolid also reached 40 points but were relegated.

This season, with changes to the European competition schedule, the pressure on La Liga’s stronger teams has increased, potentially reducing their ability to dominate weaker teams. As a result, the number of points required to avoid relegation may also rise. In their last match against newly-promoted Leganés, who are direct competitors in the relegation battle, Las Palmas failed to maintain their attacking intensity from the first round and lost 2-1. Despite enjoying 20% more possession than their opponents, they did not create more shooting opportunities and failed to convert the ones they had.

A narrow defeat, however, is not entirely unacceptable. Las Palmas only managed to secure their first win of the season in the ninth round last year, so a slow start is not unfamiliar to them. Still, if they want to improve their position this season, they will need to find a way to maintain consistency and capitalize on their possession.

With Jude Bellingham still nursing an injury, Brahim Díaz, who scored the decisive goal as a substitute in the last round, is expected to replace Joselu, who missed several opportunities. This change could see Real Madrid playing at only 20% of their full strength, while Las Palmas might struggle to maintain their streak of scoring in consecutive matches.

Girona vs. Osasuna: A Test of Girona's New-Look Squad

Last season, Girona emerged as one of La Liga’s biggest surprises, finishing in a strong position after an impressive campaign. However, they now face significant challenges following a summer transfer window that saw several key players depart, including star striker Viktor Tsygankov. The team is inevitably undergoing a rebuilding phase. In their most recent away match against Atletico Madrid, Girona’s manager Míchel attempted to replicate the fast-paced, possession-based football that brought them success last season. Unfortunately for Girona, Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone, a fierce opponent of possession football, successfully deployed a counter-attacking strategy to dismantle Girona.

It is worth noting that Girona has not been reluctant to reinvest their transfer income, spending on six new players this season. The most expensive acquisition was Colombian winger Yáser Asprilla, who contributed six goals and seven assists in the English Championship last season, but he has yet to make his debut for Girona.

On the other hand, Osasuna have become a reliable mid-table side in La Liga. For two consecutive seasons before last, they finished in the top half of the table, and their 11th-place finish last season was widely accepted by fans. They have started the current season with four points from their first two games and are one of six teams that remain unbeaten.

In their previous match against Mallorca, who had held Real Madrid to a draw in the first round, Osasuna played aggressively and managed to take the lead just ten minutes into the second half before pulling back to defend and holding onto their advantage until the final whistle. While they were expected to beat newly-promoted Leganés in the first round, their current match against last season’s overachievers, Girona, offers an excellent opportunity to assess Osasuna’s competitive strength this season.

Last season, Girona defeated Osasuna in both of their meetings, but the new additions to Girona’s squad are unlikely to be performing at their full potential just yet. As such, both teams might be expected to play at only a fraction of their true capabilities.

Pressure Mounts for Real Madrid and Ancelotti

As things stand, Real Madrid and Mbappé are feeling the heat. With Barcelona riding high and new signings like Olmo making immediate impacts, Los Blancos need to find their rhythm quickly if they want to keep pace in the title race. Ancelotti's challenge is to integrate Mbappé effectively into a system that already has its creative outlets, allowing the French star to shine in his unique way while still fulfilling the role that the team requires.

Meanwhile, for Girona, the challenge is more about survival than glory. With key departures and new faces needing time to gel, the road ahead looks tough. Míchel must find a way to bring his new recruits up to speed quickly if Girona are to avoid slipping down the table and losing their status as last season's surprise package.

As La Liga unfolds, both Real Madrid and Girona will be teams to watch closely—one under the weight of expectation and the other fighting to prove last season was no fluke.