After some amazing results it was the time to see a negative one unfortunately. Real Madrid could not get more than a goalless draw in Getafe on Sunday night. A result that is disappointing and also frustrating since everything was going very well and the 1st position in the table was so close. Taking in consideration the moment in which the season is it can be said that this result may turn out really harmful because there are a few matches to go and there is not much time left to recover the difference with the first place.
Since the start of the match a very tired Real Madrid was seen on the pitch. Besides the energy lacking Real also had to deal with the absences which were already many but got even worse as Mendy and Valverde got added to the list of the absences on the day of the kickoff. The match started slowly for Rela Madrid but not as slowly for Getafe. Getafe could have scored three times in the opening 10 minutes making use of thelow rhythm of Real Madrid. Getafe tried to hit with counter attacks but also with action plays as Real tried to hold the ball more. But that also changed since the difference in ball control became little as the game progressed. A tired Real Madrid was facing an energetic Getafe which was trying to create more and more. They tried to use their wings to dribble and also put many crosses in Real’s box and were dangerous in more than a few chances. Getafe even hit the post with Jaime Mata, who together with Cucurella, Alena and Unal were the most active players from Getafe, causing problems in many cases for the white defense. They also tried to make use of the lack of experience by the youngster Victor Chust who replaced Nacho in the center of the defense.
The home side continued to dictate the play after the interval as Real grew ever more tired but Getafe could not get past Real keeper Courtois. As the match went on, more attacking plays could be seen by both teams, but Getafe was dangerous more often. Real Madrid players seemed not motivated and not in a good shape. The players that had to take the place of the senators didn’t fit well and couldn’t form a compact team together. Mariano, Odriozola, Chust and Isco didn’t help the team enough and as a result there was not enough communication between the players and the team seemed somehow disorganized. This could be said for both defensive and offensive maneuvers. The game was somehow open and neither of the teams focused on defending but the however attacking plays were inaccurate and often lazy, even why not small in numbers. Real Madrid didn’t have any great alternatives coming from the bench. Fist it was Benzema and Blanco who took the places of Mariano and Rodrygo and a few minutes later it was Arribas who replaced Asensio. Benzema was not in a great condition and couldn’t do much while the youngsters Blanco and Arribas didn’t show up too much, thus not being able to give any push to the team. Both teams closed the game as a potential winner with unused chances on both sides. It was an equal game most of the time, but however, Getafe was a bit more dangerous. 6 shots on target for them as Real only Had 2. AS for the shots outside the goal there were 8 for Getafe and 6 for Real Madrid. As Real tried to keep the ball more on the feet, it suffered 17 fouls by the opponent against 8 caused by the white team. This means that besides their great performance, Getafe also used their experience on breaking the actions of the opponent by all means necessary, which is something that favorite teams always suffer from.
Courtois was the best player for Real Madrid as his saves were crucial in many cases including shots and headers from various players like Oliveira, Unal, Maksimovic etc. He continues to be a certainty for Zidane’s team, he is irreplaceable and has a major role in every achievement that Real Madrid has made this season and will certainly have a major role in every achievement that Real Madrid will do.
Words from Zidane after the match:
"You focus on one word". We don't have limits. We'll do something. We'll keep fighting, whatever happens, until the end of the season, we'll raise the limit, there's no ceiling for this team. Our morale is good, we have to rest well and keep going."
Zidane is claiming that nothing is over and is trying to keep his team’s mood as good as possible. The next match will be very soon (on Wednesday) and Real will travel to Cadiz to face the blue and yellow kits. Considering what Cadiz was able to do in the first half of the season and considering the state of Real Madrid in this moment (too many matches with no time to rest, many absences and injuries, the pressure because no mistakes are allowed in this period of the year), it is a must to take this match as seriously as the three matches that Real played against Liverpool and Barcelona, because this match is also very difficult...
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