Real Madrid: 5 key players against Galatasaray

Sergio Ramos

Galatasaray don’t have a vaunted attack, but players like Florin Andone, Ryan Babel, and Emre Mor have the individual skill to give Real Madrid’s back four problems. Madrid have been particularly vulnerable to counterattacks, as evidenced by their first half disasterclass against Club Brugge in their most recent Champions League fixture.

When Real surrender opportunities to the opposition, they usually allow the other team to get through on goal, leaving Thibaut Courtois hopeless to make a save. Courtois ends up receiving the brunt of the criticism, but the issues are mostly schematic, with Casemiro having to heroically cover all sorts of ground for the attacking fullbacks and adventurous Sergio Ramos.

With the exception of set pieces and the fabled “Ramos Time”, the Real Madrid captain needs to be more of a “rock” for his team today, playing a subdued role. Ramos and Raphael Varane are at their best when Varane is doing most of the tackling and Ramos is playing more of a reserved role where he reads the game in front of him. Few center backs have the experience and instincts of Ramos, who can sometimes be his own worst enemy when trying to do too much.

Ramos is the glue that holds the defense together. When he plays well, Real stand a good chance of recording a clean sheet. But if he gets caught out by being too aggressive, the opponents can quickly capitalize.