Villarreal 2 – 3 Real Madrid: Three Takeaways From Madrid’s Win

Photo credit should read BIEL ALINO/AFP/Getty Images)

Real Madrid mounted a tremendous comeback from 2-0 down against Villarreal. Alex McVey breaks down the match with 3 quick takeaways.

1. Madrid’s Defense was Poor Today

The opening to the second half of the match against Villarreal was starting to look like the opening to the first half against Valencia. Two goals scored in quick succession saw Madrid down two and looking like their title hopes were slipping away in front of their eyes. Real Madrid’s defense seems to have a hard time paying attention for the full 90 minutes of any given match, and had it not been for some excellent stops by Keylor Navas, they may have not been able to crawl their way out of this one. Pepe was forced into making a number of last ditch tackles and interceptions, that, although he mostly handled with composure, he shouldn’t have had to make in the first place.

2. Champions Win Ugly

It may be a bit of a cliché, but there’s a reason the saying is so popular. The true test of a champion is not whether they can win when everything’s going right, but if they can win when everything’s going wrong. With Barcelona clawing back a crucial victory today at the Vicente Calderon, Real Madrid knew that a draw against Villarreal was not good enough. Real Madrid showed they had an extra gear today, and turned up the heat in El Madrig… err… El Ceramico at just the right time. It may not have been pretty, but this win may prove to be a crucial one in the quest for the title.

3. The Subs make the Difference

Real Madrid was having a difficult time trying to break down Villarreal’s defense today, which may come as no surprise given that they have one of the best defenses, not just in La Liga, but in all of Europe. Things started to change for Madrid, though, when Isco was subbed on for Casemiro, who had put in a sub-par performance. Isco was instrumental in organizing Madrid’s comeback, and added a fluidity between the lines that Madrid had been seriously lacking. His beautiful ball set up Carvajal for the assist to Bale to get Madrid’s comeback going.

Another sub who made an impact was Alvaro Morata. Coming on for Karim Benzema, Morata came up big when it counted, heading home the goal that would take Madrid ahead. Benzema has been getting a hard time from the Madrid fans, and although some of it may be overblown, his finishing needs to improve if he’s going to quiet down the calls for the young Spaniard to start in his stead.

An Afterthought: Let’s hope Gareth Bale is okay.

He pulled up holding his ankle after whiffing at a ball near the end of the match. Real Madrid could sure use him down the home stretch. Let’s hope he hasn’t reinjured himself right away.