Real Madrid were woeful on Saturday evening against Cadiz. Here are five key questions following the 1-0 loss.
Zinedine Zidane must have seen Cadiz as an easy tune-up game after the international break, based on the chosen starting lineup for Real Madrid. He started Marcelo and Nacho at fullback; Lucas Vazquez on the right side of the attack; and the highly-attacking trio of Luka Modric, Isco, and Toni Kroos in midfield.
The result was a 1-0 loss at home and the worst overall performance the team has put together since the start of the 2019-2020 season.
Let’s take a look at five burning questions for Real Madrid after the loss.
1. When will Real Madrid stop underestimating teams?
There are three issues that spring to mind here. Firstly, the starting XI Real Madrid played was too weak against any La Liga team. Secondly, league opponents will bring their A+ game when they play Real, such is their desire to cause an upset. And thirdly, a team like Real that plays with so much possession and risk-taking in their own half will be even more vulnerable to slow starts or quick-fire goals.
All three of those phenomena were observed by Madridistas on Saturday evening at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano. But the most preventable was the first issue both in its primacy on my list and in its causative effects on the result.
How can you win with a starting lineup featuring no defensive presence in midfield, the worst attacking player in the starting XI, two declining fullbacks, and two midfielders who are gassed after coming off an injury and/or the international break?
Zinedine Zidane, as wonderful of a manager as he is, made some fundamental mistakes. Both things can be true.
2. How can Real Madrid make sure Vinicius Junior is involved?
Vinicius Junior played 45 more minutes than the forward on the opposite flank, Lucas Vazquez, yet he did not even have 10 more touches than Vazquez. And between the two of them, Vinicius is obviously the superior player for Real Madrid.
Yes, Vinicius had some glaring misses, and he could have done a better job of demanding the ball in the first half by dropping deeper. But the problem lies in the system and approach from Zinedine Zidane. He knew going into this game that Vinicius had the hot hand with goals in back-to-back games, yet he often left Vini isolated and did not make on-field rotations that would open space for him a priority.
Worse yet, Marcelo would often interfere with Vinicius’ playing style, preventing Vinicius from having space to operate in and around the penalty area. Vini had no attacking support, with Karim Benzema and Marcelo struggling and not offering enough involvement for the young player.
With Eden Hazard out until after El Clasico, Vinicius’ importance to Los Blancos is magnified. Real Madrid have to make sure the tactical setup is built around giving Vinicius a chance to make something special happen, because he is the most important player to sparking attacks.
3. Why didn’t Real Madrid start Marco Asensio?
It was frustrating to see Marco Asensio not listed in the starting lineup against Cadiz, especially since Lucas Vazquez was chosen over the in-form right winger. Asensio was crucial against Real Valladolid off the bench and also played very well against Levante. Los Blancos may not have won both games without Asensio on the pitch.
He was also one of the team’s best attacking players in the summer when Real Madrid sealed their 34th La Liga title.
Yet on Matchday 6 of La Liga, Asensio wasn’t on the pitch until the first half He is too good to sit on the bench for Vazquez, because he is the clear first-choice option on the right wing. His sweet left foot gives Real Madrid more goal-scoring from that position than anyone else on the roster, and he does not leave anything on the table in terms of playmaking.
We’re seeing Asensio at his best on the ball. Look no further than his five dribbles completed in 33 minutes off the bench against Real Valladolid. That caliber of a player should have been on the pitch against Cadiz, rested and ready to make a difference – not Vazquez, whose decision-making continues to annoy Madridistas.
4. And why did Real Madrid start Luka Modric?
Rotations are fine, and I am quite glad Zinedine Zidane rotates often so that several talented Real Madrid players get their chances. The problem is that the rotations must make sense. And unfortunately, many of the decisions Zidane made with his lineup vs. Cadiz did not make any sense at all.
Take, for example, the cases of Toni Kroos and Luka Modric starting in midfield. Kroos was coming off an injury and returned during the international break, but he did not look 100 percent in those games for Germany. So why not give him extra rest before the Champions League and Clasico? Why start him when he’s not at his best? Kroos predictably struggled, making some major giveaways before returning to his calm self in the second half.
The bigger problem, though, was starting Luka Modric. He clearly needed rest after starting game after game for both Real Madrid and Croatia. Modric, for the first time in 2020, looked tired. He looked completely out of it and had zero impact on this game. Zero. And he was the team’s most in-form player before the break.
Zidane should have protected Modric by resting him for Fede Valverde, who came on in the second half during the midfield changes.
WhoScored.com stats show that Modric had three unsuccessful touches and was dispossessed twice. He had one key pass, no dribbles completed, and no fouls drawn. Highly uncharacteristic for Modric, but highly characteristic of a player who was not 100 percent.
5. Can we see more Luka Jovic in the Real Madrid lineup?
Luka Jovic received back-to-back starts against Real Betis and Real Valladolid, but he has not started for Los Blancos since then. The Serbian international played reasonably well in those games, especially against Valladolid, showing his off-ball movement and the ways he can add to Real.
But Zinedine Zidane seems to have his style of striker, and Benzema fits that style. Borja Mayoral seemed to as well. Jovic, though, is talented. He has a lot to offer Real Madrid as a straight-up goal-scorer. The man scored 27 goals for Eintracht Frankfurt in a campaign and made his way to the Santiago Bernabeu for more than 50 million euros.
It’s on Zidane, as the manager of the world’s biggest club, to find a way to fit Jovic in. He and Benzema have shown they can co-exist. Jovic could even play up top on his own, if Zidane makes the right tweaks to help him.
Again, this is Zidane’s job. He needs to do a better job of putting his young attacking players in a position to succeed. If he can’t do that, then Real Madrid have a serious problem, because their entire new direction is about signing exciting young talent and showing that they can be a part of the picture here. If the young players feel like they won’t get valued, why will they choose Real? There are young strikers taking note of Jovic’s situation, rest assured.