Real Madrid: Grading every unit from the 2019-2020 season

Midfield

Casemiro’s contributions to Real Madrid’s defensive dominance can never be overlooked, and he was of crucial importance to Zinedine Zidane’s tactical plan defensively. He often shut down the opposition’s best creative player, such as Lionel Messi in both Clasicos.

But Casemiro was also an asset to the attack, making ambitious passes out of a deep-lying position in midfield and working to push the envelope in the attack if Los Merengues needed goals. His brace against Sevilla, for example, was instrumental in a 2-1 victory.

Like the defense, the midfield was, once again, a strength for a Real side coached by Zidane. The midfield suffered from injuries at the beginning of the season, with Isco and Luka Modric missing time on top of Marco Asensio‘s pre-season ACL tear. And James Rodriguez consistently battled ailments.

However, Real usually managed to get world-class performances from at least one midfielder. In addition to Casemiro, Fede Valverde was a massive defensive presence with an engine that never quit. Despite being 21, Valverde showed up in big games, even winning the Man of the Match against Atleti and Barça in both fixtures in the second half of the season.

Toni Kroos was a menace in the Champions League and thrived in a more attacking role, and his passing accuracy was as incredible as ever. After a slow start to the season, Modric was just as good, scoring a couple of trademark bangers.

And finally, Isco proved doubters wrong by the end of the year, making up for a slow start by being the team’s best attacking player in the final weeks of the season.

Real Madrid’s midfield was balanced, elite technically, and downright frustrating to beat when Valverde and Casemiro were on the pitch at the same time. Serious credit should also go to Kroos, who quietly had another fantastic season under Zidane.

Grade: A