Real’s match against Villarreal in Santiago Bernabeu was surely not a easy one. The draw was a fair result but Real Madrid can surely give more than that. On Saturday night the department that suffered more was surely the midfield. They were not fresh and compact enough and could not help neither the defense nor the attack.
Carlo Ancelotti wanted to squeeze in Rodrygo Goes, Marco Asensio, and Fede Valverde into one line-up by forcing the Uruguayan into a make-shift right back but that did not work. Villarreal comfortably played through Madrid’s press and put Valverde and the rest of the backline in awkward situations. The white shirts saw themselves too often defending against a team that always managed to outnumber them. The second half was better but not enough to give Madrid another three points. Below are the player ratings.
Starting XI:
Thibaut Courtois: 8.0
Another very strong display from Real Madrid’s goalkeeper ensuring that at least a point was salvaged from this match.
Fede Valverde: 4.0
Maybe it’s time to end the Fede Valverde right back experiment. His energy was deperately needed in midfield. Oftentimes, he was disconnected from his back four —unsure of how far to step out to Danjuma or cover the drifting Coquelin.
Militao: 8.0
Improving as a high-line defender — a defender that has to be comfortable with 50-70 yards of open space behind him. If not for Militao and Alaba, Real Madrid’s high pressing system would have looked even worse.
David Alaba: 8.0
A team high of 5 clearances, was crucial at keeping Villarreal off the score board. His performances have been great since he joined Madrid and looks like he has been playing here for several years. Villarreal has a complete offensive group and he was able to take the most from of them
Nacho: 3.0
A very poor game from Nacho, who provided very little in the final third when Real Madrid’s game was screaming for greater offensive involvement from their fullbacks. He also claimed a penalty at the end of the first half as he was pushed down by Albiol but that was all from him in this match.
Casemiro: 3.0
Should we start to be worried about the Brazilian? Has Casemiro’s non-stop playing time (over 3,900 minutes last year —surpassing the danger zone of 3,500 minutes by far) caught up to him again like it did in the 2018-2019 season? Ancelotti’s pressing scheme and tactics mean Casemiro should often be way out of position and outside of the traditional defensive midfield role. Maybe this is hurting him and the team.
Marco Asensio: 3.0
Looks a mess from the defensive stand point. Sometimes he marked Capoue, sometimes he pressed the center backs, and other times he just let Coquelin run in behind without passing the runner. This match was a far better test of his midfield credentials and he did not pass.
Luka Modric: 5.0
A game that just passed by Luka Modric and the midfield. The disjointed press made it look easy for Villarreal to play through the team. His age and physical conditions really affect him and no one can blame him for that.
Vinicius Junior: 6.0
The effort is never in question with Vinicius, but the execution was lacking today. Juan Foyth and Raul Albiol did an excellent job of keeping Vinicius in check.
Rodrygo Goes: 5.5
Maybe unfairly taken out at the start of the second half. Was one of the few individuals who had success taking on their marker (Alberto Moreno) 1 v 1. Started the game brightly, but did fade as the match wore on.
Karim Benzema: 4.0
A rare poor game from Benzema: his passing was off and he failed to maneuver past a staunch Villarreal defense. The absence of his top performances take off very much from Real Madrid’s plays and the offensive movement becomes numb.
The subs:
Camavinga: 6.0
Not at the level of his previous matches. Had some sloppy giveaways and struggled in between the lines.
Eden Hazard: 3.0
Eden had almost no impact at all the match. There was enough time for him to show something but he struggled to get into the game.
Isco: 3.0
The impact of Isco was the same as Hazard’s. They failed to bring something new to a team that needed to change the style a bit in order to find new ways to attack the opponent.
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