Real Madrid: Players Ratings from the 1-4 loss against Valencia

Real Madrid dropped three points in an embarrassing defeat at Mestalla against Valencia before the international break.

Real Madrid traveled to Mestalla and lost 1-4 against Valencia after a series of unfortunate penalties and poor defending. Karim Benzema’s fantastic strike gave Los Blancos the lead, but Valencia equalized through following a handball in the box by Lucas Vazquez. An own-goal from Raphael Varane helped Los Che go into the break with a 2-1 lead. Carlos Soler converted two more penalties in the second half as Real Madrid dropped three points going into the international break.

Zinedine Zidane made rotations to his squad as Marcelo, Isco, and Vinicius Junior made their way into the starting line-up. Casemiro and Eden Hazard were unavailable following positive Covid-19 tests.

Here is how the Real Madrid players performed.

Manager

Zinedine Zidane – 4.5/10

Zidane’s starting line-up was questionable as he decided to give Marcelo the start instead of Ferland Mendy. His decision stretched the backline as Sergio Ramos and co. got moved out of position to cover for the left-back. Even then, Real Madrid looked good in possession for the first 20 minutes. But the team failed to rally back in the second half.

His second-half substitutions failed to impact the game, and Los Blancos fell to a disappointing 1-4 loss at Mestalla.

Players

Thibaut Courtois – 6.5/10

Courtois did not deserve to have four goals go past him. Three of them were from penalties. He made a great save to deny Kang Lee in the 46th minute.

Lucas Vazquez – 4.5/10

Vazquez struggled all game against Gaya on the right. He was unfortunate to give away the penalty, but his encroachment into the box led to the retake. The Canterano did not offer much in the final third.

Raphael Varane – 4.5/10

Raphael Varane will consider himself unlucky to have given away the own-goal, but he should have done much better with the clearance.

Sergio Ramos – 5/10

Sergio Ramos did not have a memorable game. El Capitan gave away a penalty as he struggled to deal with the seventeen-year-old Yunush Musah.

Marcelo – 4.5/10

It won’t be a stretch to say Marcelo’s best days are behind him. He looked decent in the attack for the first 20 minutes, but his defensive positioning hurt Real Madrid often. The Brazillian also conceded the second Valencia penalty.

Fede Valverde – 6/10

Fede Valverde looked good while many around him disappointed. He worked hard and was full of energy in the midfield. He played in the double-pivot alongside Luka Modric and did a commendable job. However, Valverde is no Casemiro, and Real Madrid missed the Brazillian’s presence.

Luka Modric – 6.5/10

Luka Modric still plays at a high level. He completed two dribbles and two key passes. However, his best role might be coming off the bench in the future.

Isco – 5/10

Isco started the game well. He looked to play vertical every time he was on the ball and kept the ball moving. However, he could not carry the same authority throughout the game, and his impact diminished in the second half. Isco might not get many more chances to stake his claim as a starter.

Marco Asensio – 5.5/10

Asensio worked hard to cover for Vazquez in defense. He also looked good with the ball in the first half, but with the series of unfortunate turnaround, his influence dwindled in the second half.

Vinicius Junior – 4/10

Vinicius Junior had a disappointing game. He hardly took on Valencia players, and his decision in the final third was poor.

Karim Benzema – 6/10

Karim Benzema scored the opener for Real Madrid with a rocket of a strike from the outside the box. However, things went downhill for Los Blancos from that moment. Benzema got replaced in the 75th minute because of a muscle injury.

Substitutions

Rodrygo – 6.5/10

Rodrygo came in and had the urgency required with Real Madrid being 1-4 down. He completed two dribbles and had two keys passes.

Martin Odegaard – 6.5/10

The return of Martin Odegaard was the one good news for Real Madrid on the day. He looked sharp and made some nice passes. The Norwegian will be a vital player this season if he stays fit.

Mariano Diaz – N/A

Played the last fifteen minutes, put in a 100% shift.

Toni Kroos – N/A

Toni Kroos replaced Valverde for the last fifteen minutes and had to play in a makeshift center back role as Ramos bombed forward in hopes to rally a comeback.

Luka Jovic – N/A

Jovic came in for eight minutes and did not have much time to make an impact.