Real Madrid can secure the league title with a win at the Estadio Alfredo di Stefano on Thursday night, but not only Villarreal will be standing in their way.
When the announcement came on Tuesday morning of who the head referees would be for matchday 37 in La Liga, I think it is safe to say that Madridistas across the world let out a long, agonizing sigh.
The club’s least favorite referee, Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez, will be in charge of the crucial fixture against Villarreal.
This is ironic and rather funny considering there are so many (I’m looking at you Barcelona fans on Twitter) people around the world who think the league is rigged in Real Madrid’s favor. If you honestly think that, look at Hernandez Hernandez’s track record when in charge of a game featuring Los Blancos.
The stats prove my point and then some.
Últimos 10 partidos del Madrid con Hernández Hernández:
— MisterChip (Alexis) (@2010MisterChip) July 14, 2020
Sevilla 2-1 RMA
RMA 2-3 Barça
RMA 1-1 Levante
Girona 2-1 RMA
RMA 5-2 RSociedad✅
Barça 2-2 RMA
Sevilla 3-0 RMA
Betis 1-2 RMA✅
Barça 0-0 RMA
Levante 1-0 RMA
Madrid-Villarreal. Árbitro: Hernández Hernández.
Fiesta!!! 🥳🎉
There is such a disdain for the RFEF referee that after the loss to Levante in February, Sergio Ramos said in his post-match interview, “I’m annoyed with this referee. I asked him if he has a personal problem with me.”
Also, keep in mind that Eden Hazard suffered his second serious ankle injury of the season in that loss to Levante when Hernandez Hernandez was in charge and the sequence that caused the injury not only didn’t warrant a card for right-back Jorge Miramón, but there was no foul called either.
To make matters worse, Villarreal is a very talented team with the likes of Paco Alcacer at striker, a resurgent Santi Corzola running the show in the midfield, and a decent overall attack that has tallied 10 more goals than Atletico Madrid, propelling the ‘Yellow Submarine’ into fifth place.
Real Madrid drew with Villarreal in their previous meeting way back at the beginning of September and had it not been for two clutch goals from Gareth Bale, Zinedine Zidane’s men would have lost the match.
Let’s hope that officiating does not play a big role in this match and the result is earned fairly. These are two quality teams and if Hernandez Hernandez is smart, he will keep order over the match without involving himself too often.
Keep the whistle quiet and let the boys play!