Diaz stunner, Real Madrid 4-0 Malaga for third straight win; Chelsea 4-3 Brighton exposes defensive worries

As soon as the opening whistle blew, Real Madrid made it clear they were not here to experiment. The 4-0 win over Malaga, a team returning to La Liga after eight years away, was not just three points; it was a message Mourinho wanted to send to the entire league: his team is hungry for goals. Jose Mourinho earned his third consecutive win in three matches in charge. What matters is not the score line, but how Real Madrid attacked. They did not depend on a single individual. They created at least three different attacking patterns in one match: individual penetration, finishing from wide crosses, and capitalising on second balls from set pieces. In the 20th minute, Bellingham received the ball in central midfield, dribbled past three Malaga players and finished from a narrow angle off the near post. That is the kind of goal he has produced many times since last season: no need for big space, just one burst and decisiveness. Fans immediately began singing Hey Jude around the Bernabeu. Bellingham scored the season's opening goal, but more importantly, he became the centre of every attacking move. About twenty minutes later, Alexander-Arnold, starting for Real Madrid for the first time, delivered a cross from the right flank. Mbappe charged into the box and produced a one-touch volley to make it 2-0. That was the moment showing why the coaching staff had left Dumfries on the bench in the opening two games and handed this chance to Alexander-Arnold. His crossing ability was a weapon Malaga had no answer to. In the 60th minute, Vinicius replaced Mbappe, who was given rest. Real Madrid kept their rhythm. In the 72nd minute, Guler, a young substitute, received an unselfish pass from Vinicius and finished neatly. 3-0. The match was no longer a contest; it was a display: Real Madrid are showing attacking variety that makes every opponent wary. But I call this a message, not a verdict. Malaga are a promoted side, clearly below Real Madrid's level. A 4-0 win over Malaga in matchweek 3 was an obligation, and they won beautifully. What about Chelsea? Chelsea beat Brighton 4-3 in a match where everything could happen. Cole Palmer starred and was involved in many moments. But Chelsea conceded three goals to Brighton, a mid-table Premier League side. That is why coach Xabi Alonso has reason to worry. This is not emotion; it is a signal from the score line itself. When you score four but concede three against Brighton, one of the more inventive attacking teams but not a top-side, you have a defensive problem. Open games like that are rarely sustainable over a long season. Brighton are not Manchester City or Liverpool, so you cannot tell yourself: we played a much stronger opponent. More notable was the transfer news: goalkeeper Emi Martinez was announced as a new Chelsea player just hours before the match, and he started immediately. In a demanding league like the Premier League, a goalkeeper making his debut right after arriving is a sign of a reactive decision, not planning. Martinez played his debut while Chelsea were also losing Moises Caicedo to injury. The midfield lost its anchor, which explains why the match became so open. My observation over many years is that a team with Chelsea's attacking strength but such defensive frailty will win many 4-3 games, but will also lose decisive matches for the same reason. Coach Alonso needs to tighten the defence before a congested schedule exposes these problems more clearly. Elsewhere, the Bundesliga and Serie A also had notable events. Schalke returned to Germany's top flight after three years, while Bayern Munich remain defending champions. In Serie A, Inter Milan are also defending their title, while Napoli and Como are mentioned as Champions League participants in a piece of information that made me pause: Como, by normal logic, are a team just participating in Serie A, so why would they be in the Champions League? If this information is accurate, it is a paradox in the European qualification process. Meanwhile, in the Belgian league, Sporting Charleroi are leading with four wins out of four, while defending champions Club Brugge just suffered their first defeat. The match between Gent and Club Brugge had two red cards: Forbs was sent off, and Cisse, who scored the decisive goal for Gent, was also dismissed. A straight red card for an elbow usually leads to a ban of two to three matches depending on severity. For a team like Gent, losing their main goalscorer early in the season could have a major impact on momentum. Overall, Real Madrid are having a perfect start under Mourinho, but we should not call it a winning formula yet. Three straight wins, including two against weaker sides, are not enough to reveal their true strength. Matches against teams of equal level are where their ability to handle pressure is exposed. I remember how at 49 I still rewrite the script of my career, not to be different but to survive. Real Madrid are doing the same: they are winning through adaptation, rotating Alexander-Arnold with Dumfries, giving chances to Guler, using Bellingham's energy. But in a long season, beating Malaga does not decide the title. Chelsea's problem is the opposite: attacking power is masking a fragile defence, and that is the piece coach Alonso needs to solve fastest. If you ask me which match has more analytical value, the answer lies in Chelsea 4-3 Brighton, because it raises the question: should we judge a team by goals scored or goals conceded? Too early to conclude, but not too early to ask.