Real Madrid: Player Ratings from a 1-1 draw against Elche

Real Madrid dropped two points away at Elche with a dismal second-half performance riddled with poor finishing and errors in the final third.

Real Madrid struggled to find the back of the net more than once against an organized Elche side and had to settle for the 1-1 draw away from home. Los Blancos’ six-game win streak came to an end following a feeble performance by the attacking players. Luka Modric’s first-half goal got canceled out by Fidel’s second-half penalty.

Here is how the Real Madrid players performed.

Manager

Zinedine Zidane – 4/10

Zidane’s sent out the team well prepared for the match. For the first 30 minutes, Real Madrid moved the ball well and completed some wonderful sequences but failed to score more than one goal.

However, as the team tired out, it was evident that they were struggling to break Elche’s low block. The change was needed, but Zidane waited until the 76th minute to make his first substitution.

The Real Madrid manager cannot do much about Carvajal’s brain fart or the forwards’ poor finishing, but he could have switched things around earlier in the match. The lack of urgency ultimately cost Los Blancos two points.

Players

Thibaut Courtois – 7/10

Courtois was not at fault for conceding the penalty kick. He still managed to dive the right way. The Belgian made a couple of crucial saves to deny Elche the win.

Dani Carvajal – 4.5/10

Dani Carvajal did not look good against Elche. He needlessly gave away the penalty for Elche’s equalizer and looked shaky in defense. The Spain right-back was also fortunate to have missed out on a red card. He almost redeemed himself, but his shot at goal got brilliantly saved by Edgar Badia.

Raphael Varane – 7/10

Varane looked good in the backline, and he was instrumental in cutting off attacks with his speed when Elche tried to play on the counter. He won three ground duels and two aerial duels, per Sofascore.com.

Sergio Ramos – 7/10

Ramos continues to be the backbone of this Real Madrid side. El Capitan made several vital interventions and won all three of his aerial duels.

Marcelo – 5/10

Marcelo looked lively in the first 20-25 minutes. He almost scored the opener with a thunderous volley. However, his defensive positioning was a suspect throughout, and Elche often found an outlet through his side.

Casemiro – 7/10

Casemiro did his job well. He shielded the backline, and he often was in the right position to win the ball back. The Brazillian won 100 percent of his aerial duels and also completed 100 percent of his longballs.

Luka Modric – 8/10

Luka Modric continues to prove himself as an indispensable player for Zidane. Modric opened to scoring for Real Madrid with a header following the rebound from Asensio’s strike.
The Croatian was also heavily involved in the buildup play with an xGbuildup of 0.53 (most in the team), per Understat.com. He would have grabbed an assist, too, if the forwards were on their A-game.

Toni Kroos – 7.5/10

Toni Kroos hardly put a foot wrong. He continued showcasing his passing skills and controlled the majority of the game. The German World Cup winner completed three key passes and added some defensive contribution by winning three tackles.

Lucas Vazquez – 7.5/10

Lucas Vazquez never lacks effort. He worked hard throughout the game. The Spaniard completed three dribbles and a key pass.

Marco Asensio – 5/10

Asensio’s fantastic strike from outside, which led to Real Madrid’s opener, was the only highlight of the match for the former Mallorca man. Other than that, his contribution was non-existent.

Karim Benzema – 4.5/10

Karim Benzema had a largely quiet game. The French forward misjudged couple of balls that he would have finished on a better day. Nothing he did worked on the night.

Substitutes

Eden Hazard – N/A

Hazard made his first appearance back from injury. He came in for the last 14 mins and did not have enough time to turn the tide in Real Madrid’s favor.

Fede Valverde – N/A

Like Hazard, Valverde was only on the pitch for the last 14 mins.

Vinicius Junior – N/A

Vinicius replaced Asensio in the 86th minute and barely had a few touches to his name.