After Gao Shen left, every move by Real Madrid attracted attention.
After Ronaldo transferred to Juventus, Modric, who won the World Cup Golden Ball, was forced to stay at Real Madrid.
Di Maria, who was determined to leave, failed to do so and was retained by Real Madrid.
At the same time, the team brought in Van Dijk, Odriozola, Mariano, and Lunin. They invested 200 million euros this summer, with a net spend of nearly 100 million, a rare major outlay in recent years.
Real Madrid performed quite well in their preseason friendlies after Benítez took over, which drew strong attention to their new season.
The first match of the new season was the European Super Cup in Tallinn, Estonia, against Marseille from Ligue 1.
As a rising force in Ligue 1, Marseille, after being acquired by American billionaire McCourt in 2016, vowed to build into a strong Champions League side and break Paris Saint-Germain's domestic monopoly.
Marseille also invested heavily this summer. From Strootman to Radonjic and Duje Caleta-Car, and they signed Balotelli from Nice. Marseille suddenly became star-studded.
Goalkeeper Mandanda, defenders Rami and Rolando, former Bayern midfielder Gustavo, French star Payet, Argentine talent Ocampos, France's top winger Thauvin, plus a net spend of 70 million euros this summer.
Marseille's overall strength was clear.
Long before the match, many media outlets warned Real Madrid to be cautious, especially about Benítez's overhaul of Real Madrid's entire midfield and attack.
But in this key game, Benítez still chose his most familiar 4-2-3-1.
The goalkeeper and back line basically continued the setup from the Gao Shen era, but after Pepe left, Varane, one of the world's most valuable center backs, stayed in Madrid along with Pogba and Modric.
The double pivot was Toni Kroos and Casemiro, and ahead of them were Asensio, Isco, and Di Maria.
Benzema led the line.
It was clear that Benítez wanted to implement his ideas.
But no one expected that less than a minute into the game, Real Madrid conceded.
A high press failed, and Strootman played a long pass into the final third.
Balotelli used his body to lean on Ramos, neither won the first contact, and Balotelli took the lead, turned and sprinted, nodded the ball into the box, shook off Varane, and finished with his right foot to score.
Real Madrid then launched a furious counterattack at Marseille.
But the team had abandoned its usual 4-3-3, which left Real Madrid's players uncomfortable and exposed flaws quickly.
Growing frustrated as the equalizer did not come, Real Madrid were hit again in the 79th minute. Marseille counterattacked, Thauvin dribbled into the box and squared for Balotelli to score again.
The former Italian prodigy announced his return with a brace against Real Madrid and reminded fans worldwide of his name.
In the end, Real Madrid lost 0-2 to Marseille.
…
After the Tallinn setback, Spanish and European media launched fierce criticism of Real Madrid's performance.
This was the first time in years that Real Madrid had lost the European Super Cup.
More importantly, with such a luxurious squad, why use such tactics in the match?
Benítez explained after the game that Pogba, Modric, and others had played in the World Cup and were exhausted, needing rest, while Van Dijk had just joined and was not yet adapted, needing time to integrate.
But this was clearly unsatisfactory.
Goalkeeper Courtois was unhappy with the defensive display. Both goals conceded were counterattacks and both were close-range finishes.
"I'm sorry, but I cannot react to a shot like that."
"I do not think any goalkeeper in the world can guarantee a save on those."
Toni Kroos said in an interview after the game that the Real Madrid seen in Tallinn was not the real Real Madrid.
"In fact, this is not our best tactical style."
AS editor-in-chief Alfredo also wrote that Real Madrid's problem was that the overall shape was too high, leaving too much space behind, which made the players uncomfortable.
"In recent years, although Real Madrid were known for attacking, the team did not actually press very high. They concentrated numbers around midfield, but Benítez wants the block to push higher."
"This requires the forwards to defend more, which is very demanding on Real Madrid's older players. Benzema and Di Maria are already 30, and Asensio and Isco are not strong defenders."
Alfredo believed Benítez's reforms were understandable, but Real Madrid's actual situation had to be considered.
There was another obvious problem. Casemiro and Toni Kroos were not suited to a double pivot together.
…
After losing the European Super Cup in Tallinn, Real Madrid returned to La Liga for the opening round.
At the Bernabéu, against crosstown side Getafe, Real Madrid drew 0-0.
Unlike the Super Cup, Benítez rotated, using Pogba and Verratti as the double pivot. The two are younger and played more actively, but the midfield still lacked stability and the back line faced frequent danger.
This made the Bernabéu crowd uncomfortable.
In recent years, Real Madrid under Gao Shen had always been steady. Even last season, their home form was strong.
As Marca said after the match, this season's Real Madrid had completely lost their backbone and soul and had become like a headless fly, crashing around the Bernabéu aimlessly.
After failing to score in two straight matches, Real Madrid faced a crisis. Benítez's management was questioned from the outset, and even within the squad there were many voices.
Years of coaching, especially after leaving Liverpool, made Benítez more diplomatic, but facing Real Madrid's current issues, he still insisted there was nothing wrong with his tactical thinking.
"I think we can do better."
As expected, in the second round of La Liga, Real Madrid beat Girona 4-1 away to claim their first win of the new season.
Back at the Bernabéu in the third round, Real Madrid beat Leganés 4-1, making it two wins in a row.
But in the same round, Barcelona thrashed Huesca 8-2 at home, making it three straight wins.
Valverde's team started the new season aggressively, almost unstoppable, launching a fierce charge at La Liga.
By contrast, although Real Madrid had won two in a row, they conceded first to Girona and had to come from behind. Against Leganés, they scored first but were quickly pegged back, then struggled to break them down for a long time.
This exposed Real Madrid's biggest issue.
As SER Radio's De la Morena analyzed, Benítez's overhaul of Real Madrid had only just begun, and many problems remained to be solved.
De la Morena also warned that Real Madrid's players, especially many over 30, would struggle to sustain his high pressing.
In four matches, they conceded four goals, especially in the last two league games where the opponents were not strong. Scoring eight was certainly encouraging, but conceding two also needed attention.
…
While Real Madrid were up and down to start the season, Leeds United beat Brighton 2-0 at home in the third round of the Premier League with an Arnold long-range strike, a quick counter after a midfield interception, and a goal from Mbappé.
Leeds United not only made it three wins from three, but more importantly, they had not conceded a single goal.
This amazed the whole of English football.
Everyone knows Leeds United are good at developing center backs, but even after selling several in succession, they maintained an excellent defensive level, which was impressive.
In particular, this season's pairing of Ruben Dias and De Ligt showed tremendous promise. Their performances were very stable and left a deep impression.
However, in the fourth round, Leeds United's clean sheet streak ended away to Leicester City.
At the King Power Stadium, Leeds United scored through Vardy just over three minutes in.
In the tenth minute, Robertson dribbled down the left, beat full-back Pereira, and crossed. Mbappé controlled, dribbled past the center back, and finished before the defenders could close, adding another for Leeds United.
It was Mbappé's sixth goal in the four Premier League rounds since the new season began.
Leeds United have delivered on their promise to Mbappé. They have not only nurtured him, helping refine his technical profile and expand his tactical roles, but also organized the team around him to unlock his potential.
With six in four, Mbappé showed a temperament comparable to his predecessor Cristiano Ronaldo.
Especially his speed, it is simply too fast.
At the end of the first half, Leeds United won a corner and Milinkovic-Savic scored with a header.
It was the second straight match in which the Serbian midfielder scored a header.
3-0.
However, in the second half, Leeds United's defense made a mistake. De Ligt's back pass lacked power and was intercepted by Leicester striker Yin Henrique, who drew Alisson and squared it. Gazabi pushed into the empty net.
In the end, Leeds United defeated Leicester City 3-1 to make it four wins in a row, but their clean sheet run ended.
Pochettino defended De Ligt after the match, believing the young player had performed very well.
As for the mistake, "We have already won, and he has nothing to feel guilty about."
Not only did the head coach defend him, but everyone in the team basically shared this attitude.
When it comes to protecting young players and allowing them to make mistakes, Leeds United's achievements in recent years are obvious to all.
After the fourth round of the Premier League, Gao Shen and a group of Leeds United players took a charter flight from Leeds to Monaco.
He originally did not want to attend, but this time he had a special mission.
(To be continued.)