Real Madrid edged past Sevilla at the Santiago Bernabeu thanks to two crucial goals from Carlos Casemiro. Here are three takeaways from the 2-1 win.
Zinedine Zidane made four changes to the lineup that started against Atletico Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup with Eder Militao replacing an injured Ramos in the defence, while Marcelo and Lucas Vazquez made their first starts after recovering from injuries
Real Madrid struggled in attack and were devoid of ideas in the final third until Vinicius Jr came on for Rodrygo Goes around the hour mark.
A moment of magic from Luka Jovic and an exquisite finish from Casemiro gave Real Madrid the lead, which didn’t last long as Sevilla scored a controversial equaliser. Casemiro scored again at the 70th minute from a Lucas Vazquez cross, as Real Madrid grabbed all three points against the Andalusian side. Here are the three takeaways from the game.
1. Luka Jovic needs time
Luka Jovic hasn’t set the stage on fire as many expected him to, as he had yet another average game. Jovic needs time to adjust and is clearly not on the same wavelength as his teammates as of now.
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In addition to that, he has played against the top sides in Spain and chances are quite tough to come against those defences. Luka Jovic didn’t even get a half chance for the 60 odd minutes he was on the pitch today, but still he created a goal out of nowhere with a magical backheel assist.
This is not the right time to judge Jovic; goals will come, but patience is required. He has two assists in the three games he has started so far this year.
2. Vinicius Jr should start when Eden Hazard is injured
Vinicius Jr totally turned the tide in the second half, as he carried a clueless Real Madrid attack on his shoulders and started creating danger in the final third.
Real Madrid has lacked creativity without Hazard, and Vinicius is a chance-creating machine himself. Vinicius is not as efficient as the Belgian, but he can rattle opposition defence with his pace and dribbling as he did today.
He had Jesus Navas on strings for the last half an hour of the game. The most noticeable thing about his game today was Vinicius is finally improving with his decision making. He is making the right passes after getting into good positions. The 19-year-old perfectly set up Toni Kroos with a nice cutback, which the German midfielder failed to convert.
Although Vinicius is still not quite there when it comes to his finishing, but he constantly gets himself into dangerous positions and creates chances out of nowhere which is something Real Madrid lack without Eden Hazard. Vinicius is the answer to our attacking issues and should start whenever Hazard is not available.
3. Eder Militao is the perfect Pepe replacement
Eder Militao has been phenomenal so far this season, and he put in another masterclass today. Real Madrid bought him while the whole world was after Matthijs de Ligt, and Militao is proving out to be a bargain so far. He stopped every danger that Madrid faced and was not scared of going into challenges, ending up with two crucial interceptions. Militao has shown he can be trusted in important games and can keep his head calm during tough situations.
Real Madrid are not struggling without Sergio Ramos defensively which says a lot about his impact and there hasn’t been any drop in the performances too. Jesus Vallejo failed to fill the void left behind by Pepe and so did Nacho last season. Eder Militao has shown he can fill those shoes and take over from Ramos when the time comes.