Real Madrid: Don’t overlook Sergio Ramos, Raphael Varane
Real Madrid outscored their opponents 10-0 in the final week of club football before the November international break, and while the attacking players, such as Rodrygo, are rightfully getting heavy praise, don’t forget to compliment superstar center backs Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane.
With a friendly nod to the likes of Joel Matip and Virgil van Dijk in Liverpool, Real Madrid just might have the best center back duo in European football. I mean, that was the consensus when Los Blancos were at their peak, winning three straight Champions League titles under Zinedine Zidane, who is back for more glory in 2019-2020.
As Real Madrid heads into the November international break, they can pride themselves on riding a streak of five straight clean sheets in which they have also averaged 3.2 goals per game. Karim Benzema has two braces, Eden Hazard has been impossible to take your eyes off of when on the ball, and Rodrygo had a perfect hat trick at the age of 18 in the Champions League.
Oh, and Thibaut Courtois is a world-class goalkeeper again. Casemiro is crushing it. Fede Valverde is a game-changer. Toni Kroos is one of the world’s best passers.
Yet not much praise has been given to the starting center back duo of Raphael Varane and Sergio Ramos, whose greatness seems to be taken for granted.
All season long, these two have been at their best, which is to say they are among the best defenders in the league. Their weekly consistency has been instrumental in Real Madrid’s defensive prowess this season. Even in their 1-0 loss to Real Mallorca, neither player could be faulted for the goal that was surrendered.
Varane and Ramos combined for 17 clearances, two tackles, four interceptions and eight aerial duels won in a composed display against Eibar. Benzema, Valverde, and Hazard deserved all the kind words they received, but it’s all too easy to overlook the central defenders who clean everything up in front of star keeper Courtois.
Ramos has been grabbing goals with cheeky penalties or point-saving headers, such as against Club Brugge in October. While Varane hasn’t made any offensive contributions to steal headlines here and there, he’s been just as impervious defensively, reading the game as wisely as Ramos while also matching the Real Madrid’s athleticism to bully or outrun attackers.
No question Eden Hazard is back to a superstar level. dark. Next
Real have a loaded roster, but Varane and Ramos continue to be the foundational pieces for Los Merengues’ success under Zinedine Zidane. They are the most important reason for Real’s elite defensive work over the past several weeks, and they will continue to be crucial in Los Blancos’ pursuit of titles in 2019-2020.
We don’t praise defenders enough, so make sure to leave some word space for positive adjectives describing Raphael Varane and Sergio Ramos. After all, they’ve been two of the world’s best at the position for years, even if it’s easy to take them for granted or even go too far when criticizing them when they do make a rare mistake.