Offense excelling means the midfield is working

Jude, Mbappe, Vini - all earned their praise yesterday. Easy to be excited about where this team can go this season.

I've seen several posts/comments across socials about Valverde having a strong start to the season, as well, but I'd argue the casual fan sees his assist to Mbappe and thinks that is the sign he's 'back'.

The midfield is often the unsung heroes, where the build-up happens to even get Jude, Vini, Mbappe into position to score (unless it's Jude and he does it all by himself)

Mourinho has somehow found balance with Valverde and Bernardo in 2 games (small sample size). Bernardo's play reminds me of Kroos, who was often the unsung hero who wasn't recognized until he was gone.