Real Madrid vs. Osasuna: Player Ratings

The quality of the Real Madrid squad forced a win out of El Sadar Stadium over Osasuna Saturday. Real Madrid had a heated contest against Osasuna, especially in the first half. Despite a 1-1 tie going into the second half, Ronaldo and Co. managed to capture the three points, and retain their leadership on top of the La Liga table

(Photo by Antonio Villalba/Real Madrid via Getty Images) /

Keylor Navas: 9/10

The Costa-Rican reminded the fans why they are so in love with him. Today, Keylor made several crucial saves throughout the game. Whether or not that’s the effect of rumors of the board preparing to get a new goalkeeper in the summer, Keylor Navas could be about to re-enter his otherworldly form of last season. He is hardly blamed for the goal scored by Osasuna.

Danilo: 6/10

The Brazilian has improved when compared to his latest appearances. He had a very good night when it came to one-on-ones. However, when it came to movement with or without the ball, he still has a lot of work to do. Hopefully he recovers from his injury quickly.

Varane: 7/10

It was an overall excellent match for Varane, barring the huge mistake that led to Osasuna’s goal. Varane not only continues to prove that he is a great defender, he is also a brilliant distributor of the ball. This is a very important asset the Royal Whites will need a lot against teams with good pressing systems.

Sergio Ramos: 6/10

The Captain continues to be a relatively quiet player on the pitch. His defensive approach is rather conservative. That could be attributed to the relatively calm nature of the last two games, compared to the hostile environments of the preceding games against Celta and Sevilla. However, Ramos needs to remember the difference between calm and sleepy. He was also a culprit in allowing Osasuna’s only goal.

Nacho: 7/10

As usual, it was a solid defensive performance from Nacho but, not so much offensive work. Zidane’s 5-3-2/ 4-4-2 approach was also a little confusing, so Nacho shouldn’t be taking all the blame, taking into consideration Marcelo was playing either beside or in front of him. The Spaniard didn’t need to do much on offense in the first place. Furthermore, once he was deployed as a right back due to Danilo’s injury, he started making forward runs. So it was probably an instruction from Zizou in the first half.

Marcelo: 8/10

The Brazilian had a very good game today, one reason for it is that he was covered by Nacho, so his unwillingness to track back immediately wasn’t exploited. His contribution on the attack was as dazzling as always. He had picked up one assist too in his first game back from injury.

Casemiro: 7/10

It was a good game from Casemiro yet again. In the first half, he committed numerous fouls and his distribution wasn’t good either, neither were his runs with the ball in the final third. In the second half however, when the rhythm of the game slightly calmed down, he also became calmer, had better distribution, and his tackling was cleaner.

Luka Modric: 9/10

The Croatian is just a pure magician (as always). Controlling the midfield through calculated movements and precise passes, his work rate was nothing short of world class, but then again, isn’t that what Modric does most of the time?

Isco: 9/10

Isco’s work rate today was absolutely sensational. Moreover, his dribbling and passing were the other vital part besides Modric in getting to the final third. Isco scored a very elegant goal in the 62nd minute which was ultimately the game winner.

Ronaldo: 9/10

The match was a classic one from Ronaldo. He scored a nice goal, moved off the ball brilliantly (as always) and had a few fast breaks. He could’ve scored more if he timed his runs better to avoid being caught offside. Ronaldo’s best highlight today wasn’t his goal, but rather how he facilitated the ball getting to Vasquez without even touching it.

Karim Benzema: 6/10

The Frenchman continues his disappointing performances which might eventually lead him out of the Bernabeu. Benzema’s main problem seems to be some sort mental barrier that prevents him from finishing chances on his own. Rather, he gives the chances to Ronaldo every time.

Subs

James: 6/10

It’s good to see the Colombian getting back on the pitch. His work rate helped the team maintain their defensive shape. He almost managed an assist.

Lucas Vasquez: 8/10

The Spaniard today didn’t only concentrate on creating chances, he focused even more on finishing them. He complimented his fine performance with an awesome goal, his first of the year and the brace Los Blancos needed to prevail.

Mateo Kovacic: N/A

Kovacic came on in the dying minutes of the match to cover large areas of the pitch and maintain defensive dominance in the midfield and stop Osasuna’s overload in the final minutes of the match.

(Photo by Angel Martinez/Real Madrid via Getty Images) /

Man of the Match: Keylor Navas.

The goalkeeper made the biggest difference today, especially in the first half. He saved the Royal Whites a very complicated scenario that could’ve occurred in the second half had Osasuna taken the lead after tying the match at 1-1 late in the first half. Navas finished with 7 saves on the night on 11 shots from Osasuna.

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