Real Madrid: Player Ratings For The Month Of November
By Parshva Shah
Real Madrid Midfielders
Casemiro
Appearances – 3
Starts – 2
Minutes played – 212
Goals/Assists – 0/0
Rating – 5.5/10
Appearing against Inter Milan in both the games and Alavés. Against Inter Milan at home, he was probably the worst Real Madrid player on the pitch, losing the ball 18 times! However, he played with a lot of determination in the 2-1 loss to Alavés.
From being an indispensable member of the XI to becoming increasingly redundant, Casemiro had a tough November to deal with. December will be a crucial month for the Brazilian.
Toni Kroos
Appearances – 6
Starts – 5
Minutes played – 431
Goals/Assists – 0/1
Rating – 7.25/10
Toni Kroos was at his absolute best when the team performed well as a unit. With Zidane opting for a midfield without Casemiro, Kroos functioned as a deep-lying playmaker cum pseudo-CB, dropping between the two centre-backs to distribute the ball out of the back.
His performances against Inter Milan away from home and Villarreal stood out as he was the metronome in the midfield. He is turning the clock back alongside the (de)aging Luka Modrić in midfield.
Luka Modrić
Appearances – 6
Starts – 5
Minutes played – 441
Goals/Assists – 0/0
Rating – 7.5/10
It’s getting increasingly harder to believe that this man is 35. What a player he is. Luka Modrić is taking us back to his peak with such kind of performances, and it might be safe to say that he has stamped his claim as a starter.
Everything flowing through his feet is nothing but pure magic. Ask the Inter Milan players.
Isco
Appearances – 4
Starts – 1
Minutes played – 142
Goals/Assists – 0/0
Rating – 4.5/10
There’s isn’t much to talk about Isco. After his cameo for Huesca at the end of October, I wrote an article highlighting how Isco can turn it around. You can find it here. Coming back to his performances in November, I could recollect no more than just one moment where I felt I was watching the Isco we all want to see.
That moment was the final action of the match against Alavés, where he curled an effort aiming for the top corner only to see the ball bounce off the crossbar for a goal-kick. That would have been some goal.
From being one of the best players in the world in 2016-17 to being the least used midfielder, Isco’s form has nosedived severely. It’s hard to see him win Zidane’s trust back from here on.
Fede Valverde
Appearances – 2
Starts – 2
Minutes played – 166
Goals/Assists – 0/0
Rating – 7.5/10
The Uruguayan could only manage to make two appearances. He was diagnosed with a fracture to his posterior tibial bone in his right leg against Valencia.
Against Inter Milan, Fede Valverde was everywhere on the pitch. He helped the team in defence, he joined the attacks to form numerical superiority, and he even played a big part in the team’s third goal that gave them the lead – and the win – over the Nerazzurri.
Against Valencia, he put on a decent shift in the absence of Casemiro but couldn’t help the team prevent a defeat.
Valverde has returned to training and could be back in action as early as El Derbi Madrileño next week.
Martin Ødegaard
Appearances – 5
Starts – 3
Minutes played – 247
Goals/Assists – 0/0
Rating – 6.5/10
Martin Ødegaard is a breath of fresh air in Real Madrid’s Casemiro-less midfield. His positioning between the lines has been near perfect while his passing has been equally impressive. He seems to be getting back to the form he showed at Real Sociedad.