After the high intensity and great emotions of last week, an exhausted Real Madrid starting XI took a break, as Carlo Ancelotti allowed himself to make some necessary rotations in the team. In Wanda Metropolitano Real Madrid found a very great public and opponent. In the first half Madrisitas failed to cope with the opponents rhythm, but everything got better in the 2nd half especially after the five substitutions after about 20 minutes.
Ancelotti’s men tried to increase the level and so happened but Atletico was too strong and didn’t let anything pass. They were surely the better team on the pitch but however Real Madrid played a decent game especially in the 2nd half as the number of opportunities increased. At the end the penalty scored in the 35th minute of the 1st half remained the difference maker. Below are the ratings for the Starting Xi and Substitutions.
Andriy Lunin: 6.0
Considering he is a keeper who barely plays, the best we can say about Lunin tonight is that he made no major mistakes, even though he also didn’t have big moments or contributions. Atlético produced several big chances, but Lunin only had to make one major save since the others went off target. He was also not particularly helpful with ball distribution.
Lucas Vázquez: 5.5
Not the best day for Lucas. Lacked chemistry with Camavinga and Asensio, so we could say he lacked a good partner on the right to help him create chances. It says a lot about the defensive line that Lucas might have been the most decent one when playing out from the back. Struggled to contain the threat of Carrasco from the left.
Eder Militao: 5.0
Unfortunately our dear Eder continues his poor end-of-season form. Had some troublesome turnovers under the Atlético press, but most importantly, defensively he continues to look as if he had regressed to his 2020 version. Goes out of position frequently and when he does, he rarely wins those duels. This behavior leaves gigantic gaps in the line behind him that Casemiro must compensate for.
Jesus Vallejo: 6.5
It might seem weird to give Vallejo a higher grade than Militão or Lucas considering he’s the one who committed the penalty offense. However, apart from the penalty error, I thought this was a positive game from Vallejo. Despite always looking a bit anxious, he had several good clearances and last-ditch interventions. On the ball, just like the rest of the defense, he didn’t contribute much and also got caught in turnovers.
Nacho: 6.0
On the ball, he contributed very little. Almost no progressive passing and several turnovers that led to Atlético attacks. In defense, he didn’t have that much trouble with Correa, although in the second half, switching Militão for him at center-back actually made the defensive line more chaotic.
Casemiro: 5.0
Still on well-deserved holidays and we can’t blame him. Positionally a mess because he had to cover for Militão’s madness, and was not as sharp as usual at winning duels.Another source of turnovers for Atleti.
Toni Kroos: 6.5
Clearly not at his best, but I think he did what he could in a team that helped him very, very little to keep possession. While everyone else struggled to not lose the ball in awful ways and give proper progressive passes, he was often the only consistent source of forward passes and the safest outlet for the ball.
Camavinga: 5.0
He was supposed to be the antidote in a game where Atlético pressed heavily but he didn’t play at the required level to overcome it. Camavinga still has a lot of lapses in concentration and that means he’s still not the most consistent passer. Had several turnovers under pressure that are just unacceptable for a midfielder of his profile. No significant ball carries to make it past the Atlético press.
Marco Asensio: 6.0
Classic Asensio game: has some end product, but very little contribution to what the team does possession. Another source of major turnovers and one of them led to the penalty offense. Good contributions from set-pieces, though.
Rodrygo: 7.0
Since Atlético deactivated Real’s passing from the back, the ball rarely reached Rodrygo. However, he managed to create danger when he did get the ball. His contributions led to a couple of chances towards the end of the first half, although he had less impact in the second half.
Luka Jović: 4.0
The other players, looked like they were trying, butwith Jovicthe opposite seemed to be happening. We don’t expect him to be Benzema, but he should have tried to come deeper and help against the tough Atlético pressing. And his lack of contribution in possession would be fine if he had some end product, but he also missed Real’s biggest chance of the game.
Substitutions:
Vinicius: 7.5
He wasn’t at his sharpest, but Vinicius is the kind of guy who gets things to happen on the pitch, no matter what. A breath of fresh air in a stale attack and a key to creating chances during the second half.
Fede Valverde: 8.5
The best rating of the night goes to a Fede who didn’t get the memo that the team was on holiday. Focused, and dynamic, he was another player who got things to happen in a stale attack, moving all over the pitch to combine with teammates. We forget he has a great shot in him, so let’s hope he shoots more frequently in the future.
Modrić: 6.5
Decent cameo and another source of stability in possession for a team that frequently lost the ball in dumb ways. However, it was clear he had a foot on the brake tonight.
Mendy: 6.0
Atlético didn’t create that much danger on his side, so he did not have much work during his cameo appearance.
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