Real Madrid: Entire defense stepped up with big performance against Sevilla

Real Madrid’s defense rightfully came under fire after imploding with a 3-0 loss to a PSG team missing Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, and Edinson Cavani, but they bounced back in a massive way against Sevilla on Sunday.

Perhaps Real Madrid truly do suffer that much defensively whenever captain and superstar center back Sergio Ramos isn’t in the lineup, but Los Blancos are also not short on quality everywhere else on defense. Just days after completely lacking execution against PSG, Real’s back four stepped up in a huge way to lead the team to a 1-0 victory in a vital league game against Sevilla.

Coming into Matchday 5, Sevilla were first in the table, touting an elite defense that had allowed just one goal through four games. And while that defense held Real to just one Karim Benzema headed goal, it was Real’s defense that lived up to its world-class potential.

Everyone in Real’s back four played well in this game, as they carried Thibaut Courtois to his first clean sheet in months. Courtois finally had an uneventful day in goal, as Raphael Varane, Sergio Ramos, and the talented fullbacks swept up any danger that got past Casemiro and Toni Kroos in midfield.

Varane and Carvajal entered the game against Sevilla under immense pressure after their failings in the Champions League. Carvajal had trouble dealing with former Real star man Angel Di Maria, who was the focal point of PSG’s attack without Neymar and Kylian Mbappe. Meanwhile, Varane looked lost alongside Eder Militao instead of Sergio Ramos, failing to take responsibility to help Carvajal and otherwise looked woeful.

But on Sunday, Varane was sharp, accurately moving the ball to the midfield and looking impervious at the back. Carvajal was just as good, providing Benzema with the assist for the game’s only goal with a brilliant cross after an even more technically impressive passage of combination play. Defensively, Carvajal was solid, making few mistakes while being active in recording tackle and interceptions (a combined seven, per WhoScored.com).

On the other side of the formation, Ferland Mendy put in his third excellent shift of the 2019-2020 campaign. After being arguably the lone bright spot in the Champions League, Mendy did a solid job of dealing with the tricky Lucas Ocampos, who looked sure to produce a goal with his delightful skills and determined sprints. Mendy is in his first season with Los Blancos as an up-and-coming star at left back, but he hasn’t looked out of place tactically or athletically; this was another above-average game from him.

All four starters on defense performed well to help record a clean sheet after the PSG debacle, but they weren’t the only ones who stepped up.

Eden Hazard seems to have become all-in on Real and Zinedine Zidane’s system, meeting the requirement for more tracking back against a creative Sevilla midfield and the hungry Ocampos on the right side. He sacrificed his own attacking to help in defense, often tracking all the way back near the penalty area to make tackles. Afterwards, Hazard would help transition to attack, drawing two key fouls (four total fouls drawn) during counterattacking plays.

Likewise, James Rodriguez stepped up defensively, and other attackers on Real did their best in a high-press to keep Sevilla on their toes, even carving out a couple of wonderful opportunities from winning the ball back.

And how can any discussion of the defense end without discussing Casemiro? He finished with four tackles and was his usual excellent self as a holding midfielder, bridging Real’s defense and attack brilliantly as a leader in the middle of the park.

Real Madrid needed to grab three points on the road against a great Sevilla team, and they did exactly that. This winning effort was largely the product of excellent defending, and Real fans can feel more confident about their team after this critical rebound effort. From center backs like Varane to unselfish attackers like Hazard, many players on Los Blancos deserve an applause for their work on Sunday in a gritty 1-0 win.