“He’s a beast”
Three words, job done. Dean Huijsen needed nothing more to sum up what he makes of Ibrahima Konate after Real Madrid’s win over Inter Milan.
“He is very good defensively and very good on the ball too. He’s strong in the tackle, good in build-up play… I think we understand each other well,” the Spaniard said. It was the first time this season the pair had started together at centre-back.
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Two new faces, one back line to build
Konate arrived on a free this summer from Liverpool. Settling into Jose Mourinho’s defence took him almost no time at all. Huijsen came in from Bournemouth and is still working out what the Madrid shirt asks of a defender week to week.
So two players are learning each other in real time, under a spotlight that does not dim. Real are counting on this pairing in a season where the defence is the first thing anyone questions.
Courtois had the busier night
The 2-1 win over Inter was no stroll. The Italians held the ball for long stretches and kept coming. Thibaut Courtois pulled out several saves that kept Madrid in front.
Real’s goals both came from visiting mistakes. Kylian Mbappe first, then Federico Valverde. Carlos Augusto pulled one back late and the closing minutes were tense.
Huijsen preferred to talk about the good parts. Fair enough. This partnership gets judged over months, not on one night when the goalkeeper did as much defending as the defenders.
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