Real Madrid dominated Real Sociedad on Saturday despite a slow start to the match, and here were the top five performances from the 3-1 win.
When captain and star center back Sergio Ramos made an awful back-pass to gift Willian Jose and Real Sociedad a 1-0 lead after just two minutes, it looked like Real Madrid would be doomed to a draw at best. The early minutes of the match were eerily reminiscent of Real’s poor performance against Club Brugge early in the season, so Madrid fans grew concerned.
However, the Real Madrid squad coming out of the November international break is on a different level than the squad that entered October. Real were running a streak of clean sheets heading into the break, including a combined 10-0 scoreline in wins over Galatasaray and Eibar immediately before the time off.
Quickly, Los Blancos shook off the rust and the early mistake, dominating the proceedings for the entire Santiago Bernabeu crowd to enjoy. Luka Modric assisted twice and scored once as the starter over a resting Toni Kroos, Karim Benzema scored his 10th La Liga goal of the season, and Fede Valverde scored his second longshot goal in as many games to lift Los Merengues to a 3-1 win over fourth placed Real Sociedad.
There were more than only five standouts from the 3-1 victory, but here were the top five individual performances.
CAM Luka Modric
It all has to begin with Luka Modric, who was effective against Eibar before Real Madrid went on a lengthy break due to international competition. Because Croatia, who finished second in the last World Cup, qualified quickly for the 2020 European Championships, Modric was able to return to Real earlier than the rest of his teammates.
This early return proved to be important, as Modric earned the start over Toni Kroos, who still needed to rest from his sensational displays for the German national team over the so-called break.
Although Modric started the game slowly and earned criticism for lackluster passing and shaky defensive work, he eventually finished as a strong Man of the Match candidate. Modric’s first assist was a brilliantly taken set piece for Karim Benzema, and he was the one who won the free kick with resilient work on the right touchline.
Modric’s second assist was more straightforward, but he did have to show off his immense technical quality by making a lovely touch before letting Fede Valverde (and Mikel Oyarzabal on the deflection) do the rest.
And finally, Modric scored his second wondergoal of the season, cleanly and clinically striking a volley to finish off a team move started by Benzema and substitute Gareth Bale.
CF Karim Benzema
Like Luka Modric, Karim Benzema was an excellent candidate for Man of the Match honors in this 3-1 victory over Real Sociedad. It’s familiar territory for Benzema, who has probably been Real’s best player this season and is undoubtedly the best striker in La Liga right now. Where he ranks among the strikers in all of Europe’s top five is unclear, but he can’t be far off from Bayern Munich goal-scoring machine Robert Lewandowski.
That’s because Benzema is a scoring machine in his own right. He bagged his 10th goal of the season, scoring the opening goal against Sociedad with his chest/shoulder. Benzema had a few other chances nearly converted, meaning he was on the doorstep of a third straight brace.
He also set up Modric’s goal, which sealed the game at 3-1 in the 74th minute. Benzema’s ability to unselfishly square up others and finish off his own chances makes him one of the most well-rounded No. 9’s in the world.
Sometimes, I wonder where Real Madrid would be without Benzema, whose value to the team is both quantifiable and goes beyond the statistics. It has been a joy to watch him link up with Rodrygo and Eden Hazard over the last few weeks.
CB Raphael Varane
Another France international, Raphael Varane is a player whose contributions are easy to take for granted. But the 26-year-old is one of the best defenders of his generation and shows off his special qualities each and every week.
Against Eibar, Varane was impossible to stop. He was similarly excellent against Real Sociedad, quieting one of the best attacking fronts in La Liga. Sociedad’s offense looked impotent against Varane, whose composure was instrumental in beating Sociedad’s notorious press.
The statistics don’t really give Varane enough credit for how well he read the game and stood tall under pressure, but it says a lot that he was once again the team’s leader in clearances by some margin. Always active and one step ahead of the offense, Varane regularly clears danger before it can develop and is adept at turning clearances into counterattacking opportunities.
Varane needs to be talked about more as one of the best center backs in the world, because he’s never dipped from his world-class quality, despite some criticism of his play in 2018-2019. This season, Varane has been a rock, as he was in this crucial win over Sociedad.
LW Eden Hazard
Ever since scoring his first goal and grabbing his first assist for Real Madrid in mid-October before the break in a 4-2 win over Granada, Eden Hazard has returned to superstar status for Los Blancos. He sealed this fact before the November break when he tore Eibar to bits in a 4-0 win, showing off ridiculous skills that only a handful of players in La Liga can pull off. He was pulling off nutmeg backheels, rabonas, and spellbinding turns on a dime.
Hazard was also magnificent against a better team and in a bigger match. Real Sociedad had zero answers for Hazard’s dribbling, as the Belgian playmaker finished the game with a whopping nine dribbles complete and seven fouls drawn, per WhoScored.com.
He did not have a goal or an assist in this game, but that doesn’t matter. Hazard was untouchable with the ball at his feet, and he is an elite player who can create opportunities from nothing. The 28-year-old frequently dropped off deep to help the rest of his teammates transition into the attack, showing ridiculous bursts of acceleration and change-of-pace with the ball to avoid Sociedad’s press.
Hazard and Benzema are clearly on the same wavelength now, and it has made Real’s attack just about impossible to stop.
LB Ferland Mendy
Marcelo has returned to health, but Zinedine Zidane made the right call to start Ferland Mendy against Real Sociedad’s normally excellent front three. While Mikel Oyarzabal and attacking midfielder Martin Odegaard were as good as usual, right winger Portu had pretty much no success against Los Blancos’ defense.
Most of that credit goes to Mendy, who is arguably the world’s best defensive left back right now. Simply put, nobody gets past him. Mendy’s intelligence and positioning are on another level, and sometimes it’s hard to believe that he’s only a 24-year-old playing in his first season at Real Madrid. The man just gets it.
Offensively, Mendy continues to make strides with his first touch and shooting; he even came close to catching Sociedad’s keeper off guard with a weak-footed effort from distance. Mendy’s growth in the attacking third from game to game is visible. His passing and positioning in the final third have always been excellent, but now he’s starting to get more comfortable in these areas, which has aided his technique and decision-making.
The best player on Real in the first half, others started to step up in the second and take that MOTM honor from him. Even so, Mendy was exceptional in this game and deserves high praise for the quality he’s shown in his first few months with Los Blancos.