After a woeful preseason tour, Real Madrid were able to defeat Manchester United 2-1 Tuesday night in Macedonia to win their second consecutive UEFA Super Cup title. Here are three takeaways from the first official competitive match of the 2017-2018 campaign.
The midfield is still dominant
Like clockwork, Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, and Casemiro did what they always do. Dominant.
From the first whistle to the final whistle, the trio, who now have a year of experience playing with each other, controlled the match. United’s best midfielders Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, and Ander Herrera were totally absent the entire match due to the incredible passing and suffocating defense from Real’s world-class midfielders.
Casemiro again proved to everyone that he isn’t just a center defensive midfielder, but he can attack and score just like other central and attacking midfielders. After heading a corner kick off the crossbar, the Brazilian came back and made a fantastic run to score the opening goal of the match, placing his foot right in the path of a great over the top ball from Dani Carvajal.
NOBODY TOLD HIM HE'S SUPPOSED TO BE A CDM! CASEMIRO SCORES BIG GOALS! #UEFASuperCup #RealMadridvsManchesterUnited
— The Real Champs (@TheRealChampsFS) August 8, 2017
Casemiro scored two incredible goals during Real’s ’16/’17 campaign and he can add this goal in the Super Cup to that running list.
The man himself, Toni Kroos, was doing what we have grown so accustomed to seeing week in and week out, passing the ball with incredible precision. The German international completed 96% of his passes and was directing his teammates around the pitch like he was the quarterback of the squad.
Luka did a great job frustrating newly acquired midfielder, Nemanja Matic, running past the big player a few times and causing a headache for former Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho.
According to WhoScored, Casemiro earned the highest rating of any player with an 8.7 out of 10, followed closely by Toni Kroos who finished with a 7.2. Modric was the lowest of the midfield trio finishing with a solid 6.5 rating.