Real Madrid: Three takeaways from 3-1 win over Eibar
By Hasan Karim
Here are the biggest takeaways from another Real Madrid win.
Finally, we were able to see the return of Real Madrid to our screens. Zinedine Zidane’s men ran out 3-1 victors at the Estadio Di Stefano against Eibar. Here are our three takeaways:
A game of two halves:
Prior to kickoff, few truly knew what to expect of Real Madrid. We’d seen across the league that respective teams were coming back looking different. Whilst Sevilla looked sharp, Valencia looked every bit as rusty as one would expect, from a team that hasn’t played in months.
However, Real came out looking sharp – piecing moves together with ease and looking as if they hadn’t skipped a beat. Whilst they may not have looked to be exerting themselves massively, it was efficient and purposeful. It took merely minutes for Toni Kroos to put them ahead – albeit after much debate as to whether Benzema was onside in the build-up.
The second and third goals came through razor-sharp combination plays. Real were literally just ghosting into spaces at will. Although, the second half wasn’t quite the same.
Whether they switched off through fatigue or believing the job had been done – Eibar certainly made things uncomfortable for Real in the second half. Pressing forward more than they had done previously, Los Blancos eventually struggled to even break out of their own third.
Across the pitch, players were showing their slight lack of sharpness. Between the wayward passes and sloppy actions on the ball from time to time, it was clear the team will take time to get going.
Whilst it’s expected that the squad isn’t quite operating at complete capacity, they certainly will need to find that groove sooner rather than later. Particularly if they want to keep pace with Barcelona, who looked sharper in their own right.
Eden Hazard’s performance was positive:
Today’s game also marked the return of Eden Hazard from a long time on the sidelines. Featuring for just over an hour, the Belgian showcased enough for Madridista’s to feel encouraged about both his fitness and form.
Quite often this season, Hazard has seemingly been instructed to stay wide. Although in this match, the shackles were off – he was given license to roam and it worked a treat.
His link-up and movement with Karim Benzema were key in creating the first goal – shifting infield to open the space up for Kroos. The second and third goals for Los Blancos came after he once against combined with Benzema down the right-hand side.
Off the ball, Hazard was persistently harrying defenders and making a nuisance of himself. This is something we didn’t see much of earlier in the season and it’s a big plus that he is in seemingly better shape than ever at Real.
Long may it continue.
Benzema showcased his brilliance:
Benzema’s performance tells you something – the stats don’t always tell the full story. He had zero goals and zero assists, yet was influential in every single goal scored.
His continual presence both on and off the ball with his dribbling and passing was huge. He was tireless in his efforts across the pitch, continually making himself an option for the team.
He completed all three of his attempted dribbles and played on two key passes. But these are just numbers, it was his subtly on the ball that really stood out – the second goal particularly. Riding off challenges and dribbling down the wing, he played a wonderful pass to Hazard who then set up Sergio Ramos who tapped it in.
Next. The Real Madrid front three dominated Eibar. dark
Benzema looked rejuvenated and fresh – against Eibar, he was the standout performer, as he has been for much of the season. His individual display and now seemingly budding relationship with Hazard will certainly be a bright spot for Los Blancos fans.