​The Daily Merengue is a place where you can feel free to discuss all things football. Do not be alarmed by the overt RMCF bias. It’s in the name! Shoutout to the mods who do a fantastic job, Ezek, Valyrian Steel, Felipejack, Juninho, NeRObutBlanco and yours truly, Kung_Fu_ZizouReal Madrid have mastered the art of playing only 45 minutes of every game this season. So far they’ve scarcely missed the target. The second half is an opportunity for the opponents to show how good they are and try to level the game or outright win it. Some people might say that’s a fair approach, perhaps an egalitarian approach to professional football competition. Mobutu Can’t Stop Scoring🚨🤯 Kylian Mbappé has now scored against 92 teams in his career. pic.twitter.com/lGtgp9BgMf— Madrid Xtra (@MadridXtra) September 16, 2026Kylian is in a mood. The Frenchman is made of goals and he is not slowing down. This will be another 50 goal season if he stays healthy. Vinicius Can’t hit the broad side of a barn🚨 Vini Jr. on IG: “THE GOALS WILL RETURN.I CANNOT miss so many.Sunday, there will be MORE.HALA MADRID!” pic.twitter.com/QMAnX6Hd8K— Madrid Xtra (@MadridXtra) September 15, 2026The Brazilian superstar has worked hard this season but has lost his bearings worse than a misplaced house key. A clean hatrick of chances missed against Elche served to lay the foundations for a nervy second half. He could have given his team a proper cushion going into the second half. One must add, if 2 goals isn’t a comfy cushion against Elche..Turkish Delight?Arda Güler’s first half performance was mildly enchanting. The hocus pocus of the young Turk had the team playing well. Unlike the previous game, the goals were constructed more than opportunistic. The opening goal from an exquisite free kick seemed to further enhance his growing reputation. 🚨 Mourinho : “Arda Güler is untouchable? No. No one is.” pic.twitter.com/lSx4YJYHPE— Madrid Xtra (@MadridXtra) September 15, 2026Arda might have forced his way into a serious role. Mourinho has now declared that nobody is untouchable. A seemingly benign statement but one which will be tested consistently in the coming monthsMou Problems🚨 Mourinho: “I like when my team scores goals. I like when we score 3,4 goals, but I don’t like when we lose control of the games.” pic.twitter.com/0lfk6VkwiZ— Madrid Xtra (@MadridXtra) September 15, 2026Mourinho has problems but creating chances isn’t one of them. The manager cannot get the team to defend efficiently. They don’t seem to know what the shape is or how they ought to react to opposition attacks or spells of possession. They simply watch on until Courtois finally fails to make a save. José started Bellingham on the bench and subbed off Vinicius. The rotations are upon us. Vinicius and Bellingham both seemed to react well, further enhancing the perceived harmony of the dressing room. The Fall OffIf you can’t defend, you might as well squeez