Real Madrid struggleboated their way to a disappointing draw against Valencia in their La Liga home opener. Here’s your quick take / hot take reaction.
Nothing could go right for anyone on Real Madrid not named Marco Asensio as Real Madrid drew Valencia in their second match of the season. Asensio bagged a brace, but besides those two beautiful goals the night was pretty abysmal for the side from Madrid.
Real Madrid were in the middle of an injury/suspension crisis at the back, as Varane and Jesus Vallejo both had injury problems, and Sergio Ramos was suspended. That meant that Zidane had to rely on the makeshift duo of Casemiro and Nacho. Zidane has tried the Casemiro at center-back experiment before, when Real Madrid got dumped out of the Copa del Rey after a 2-2 draw with Celta last season.
Terrible when played as a CB in a back 3 as well, if memory serves me.
— The Real Champs (@TheRealChampsFS) August 27, 2017
The experiment didn’t work then, and it didn’t work now. Nacho and Casemiro’s poor communication and Casemiro’s failure guard his area correctly resulted in Valencia’s first goal, shortly after Asensio’s opening wonderstrike.
There’s a raging debate going on about the value of Karim Benzema. Many Real Madrid fans seem to hate the guys guts. Others, like The Real Champs’ own Kristofer McCormack, think he’s undervalued. Tonight provided a lot of fuel for the Benzema haters. Benzema had chance after chance created for him, and all he needed to do was finish one of them. But time and time again, Big Benz scuffed his shots wide or blasted them straight at the keeper.
Gareth Bale also had a largely ineffectual night. While his plays connecting the midfield and attack in the first half were strong, he often chose to pass when he could shoot, and seemed to lack confidence. He had a stellar opportunity late in the game to put Madrid ahead with a header, but couldn’t get any force on the shot and instead bounced it straight into the keepers hands.
Isco was substituted for Mateo Kovacic at the half. Apparently, Isco was suffering from a bit of nausea. Let’s hope it’s nothing serious and he gets to feeling better soon. Kovacic played well, and freed Modric and Kroos up to do more on the pitch.
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Marco Asensio continued to be the one bright spot for Real Madrid throughout the game. Madrid were down 1-2 after a goal from Kondogbia in the second half. In the absence of both Bale and Ronaldo, Asensio lined up for a free kick that he was determined to put away. The keeper just stood by looking as Asensio’s shot skipped past him, and Madrid equalized.
Madrid frantically looked to try to get ahead in the game’s closing minutes, but couldn’t make anything happen. Madrid drop two crucial points, and allow Barca to take a firm grip on the title race going forward.
You have to wonder if Florentino Perez won’t look at this and decide that Real Madrid need to make at least a few more signings before the window closes, if he wants to continue this era of recent success.
Next: The Real Champs Podcast Episode 6