Real Madrid Players Ratings vs Villarreal

Real Madrid made a miraculous comeback after a slow start that put them down 2-0 at Villarreal. Who was at fault for those two goals and who saved the match? Here’s how we rated the Real Madrid players on the pitch tonight.

Zinedine Zidane – 8/10

Not his best night from a tactical standpoint, but he managed to change a game plan that obviously wasn’t working. He made the right substitutions at crucial moments and parking the bus toward the end using a 4-5-1 paid off. It seems he’s learning that fielding Isco and Morata with 30 minutes or more of playing time can pay off in a big way. Now he only needs to rotate the starting XI and he’ll be a more than capable manager once again.

Goalkeeper and Defensive Back-Line

Keylor Navas – 7/10

It was a mixed night for the Costa Rican keeper. While the second goal left much to be desired, he managed to make various key saves throughout the match. He looked much better than he did against Valencia, and hopefully this was a stepping stone to his previous form of last season where he was world-class material.

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Marcelo – 7/10

Once again he was good going forward, but average at best on his own side. He was great dribbling and almost always involved on any attacking play on the left side. Unfortunately, he’s a left back and he has to remember his defensive duties as well. He’d be rated lower if it weren’t for his beautiful assist for Morata to win the game.

Sergio Ramos – 6/10

Sergio Ramos is one of those players you can’t live with but can’t live without. He had a terrible first half and Pepe had to cover for him the first 45 minutes. He often found himself next to the forwards which is great during set-pieces but questionable when the opponent looks so good in their attacking third. He did manage to save the performance in the second half and looked good the last 30 minutes or so.

Pepe – 7.5/10

He started the night great. He found himself working double-duty thanks to Sergio Ramos’ struggles, but pulled off the job in the first half. Unfortunately, it seems the pressure got to him as he was at fault for the second goal. Pepe slowly saw his work rate and performance go down toward the end which oddly helped Sergio Ramos shine a little more. I still put him at a 7.5 rating because Real Madrid would’ve been down 3-0 in the first half if it wasn’t for him.

Dani Carvajal – 7.5/10

Tonight wasn’t Carvajal’s night defensively-speaking. He looked out of place during the whole first half and wasn’t the dominant attacking force on the right thanks to a very aggressive attack from Villarreal. He did however manage to recover in the second half and added an assist to his name yet again.

Midfielders

Casemiro – 7/10

Easily the best starting midfielder for Real Madrid. He was the defensive wall he’s been all season long, but he couldn’t bring anything to the table on the counter. He made some very important interceptions but that in itself isn’t enough to make tonight a standout performance. He was subbed off for Isco after Real went down 2-0 in the second-half.

Toni Kroos – 5.5/10

What a bad night for the German midfielder. He wasn’t the engine he usually is and his passing seemed off for most of the match. He created very few, if any, long through balls to put players into scoring positions. He lost possession several times and like most starting players tonight, he was a little better toward the end of the match, but a bad performance nonetheless.

Luka Modric – 6.5/10

To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much from Luka after Wednesday’s nightmare match. The good news: he looked much improved from that terrible performance. The bad news: it didn’t happen until the later stages of the match. He looked like he would have another terrible performance during the first half but was much improved after Isco was brought on. Are we seeing a pattern with most players here…?

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

Forwards

Cristiano Ronaldo – 8/10

While tonight wasn’t his best night, it was an OK showing from the Portuguese legend. He was unlucky not to have at least 1 goal before the penalty, and his clearest chance came when he headed a ball and beat the keeper, only to see the post deny him the goal. The penalty was beautifully taken to bring Real Madrid level. He also did a good job tracking back in the final minutes and saw himself playing in his old left midfield position.

Karim Benzema – 7/10

Another OK performance from the Frenchman. He annoyed the Villarreal defense throughout the night, but never had a clear chance to score. He also didn’t provide much creativity in the build up play, but was an improvement from his slump-ridden self.

Gareth Bale – 8/10

Tonight, Bale was the best of the starting forwards. He managed to link up well with Modric in the first half and looked dangerous. Then he score the third goal of the match with a beautiful header to bring Rea Madrid within a goal. Unfortunately, his night was cut short after he twisted his ankle and had to be subbed off. Here’s to hoping its nothing serious because it’s clear that he can make a big difference up front.

Substitutions

Isco Alarcon – 8/10

It’s no wonder why the midfielder wants to leave the club for lack of playtime: he’s an absolute beast. He came on for Casemiro in the second half and immediately made an impact on the match. He recovered the ball multiple times, was everywhere in the final third, and was directly involved in Gareth Bale’s goal. He was also involved in the goal that won the match, making a key sliding tackle that started the counterattack.

Alvaro Morata – 8/10

Another player who immediately made an impact after his arrival was Morata. He looked really menacing and scored with a beautiful header less than 10 minutes after he came on. His goal was the goal that won the match, so to say he was important is an understatement. Once again he showed why he deserves more playing time.

Lucas Vazquez – N/A

Unfortunately, Vazquez wasn’t on the pitch long enough to give him a proper rating. He looked good and seemed to be doing his job, which was to hold the midfield, as well as could be expected.

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