Player ratings from Real Madrid’s 2-2 draw against CD Numancia
Substitutes
Achraf Hakimi – 6.5
The Moroccan’s debut season for Madrid has been far from straightforward. During Carvajal’s early absence, he was thrown into some massive games for Los Blancos and although he and the manager received a lot of flak for his performances in these games, it’s still quite impressive how much Achraf has advanced since the start of the season. Unlike the other fullbacks, Achraf is a solid defensive full back and in all but the Tottenham game, he has shown himself to be a mature and intelligent defender.
It is offensively where Achraf leaves a bit to be desired, mainly because his crossing is abysmal which is disappointing because he has been brilliant at using his pace to burn his markers and find the space to put in a cross (or score a goal). I think that speaks a lot for Achraf, a 19-year-old who had only just finished his first season at Castilla before Zizou called him up to be Carvajal’s understudy. The only thing I feel that he needs to improve on is his crossing. The Moroccan should be out of his depth, but he has surprised us all so far.
Isco – 6
Zidane’s last two substitutions were quite baffling, with Isco coming on for Marco Asensio towards the end of the game. Isco performed well as you’d expect him to against a Segunda B side, but, why exactly he was needed at 5-1 only Zidane could tell us.
Next: Real Madrid 2 – CD Numancia 2: Quick recap of the Copa Del Rey round of 16 second leg
Casimero-N/A
This one was a real brain teaser. At 5-1 on aggregate, Zidane decided to take Mayoral off for Casemiro. You’d presume this was done to shore up the midfield and secure the game at such at a dangerous scoreline. The Brazilian had the opposite effect and Madrid lost control of the game soon after coming on. A truly baffling decision from the coach.