Real Madrid vs. Valencia: 3 takeaways from a refreshingly easy win

Supreme class from the Real Madrid midfield

We have to discuss yet another fabulous performance from the Real Madrid midfield trio of Casemiro, Luka Modric, and Toni Kroos. The last of those three men returned to the pitch on Sunday afternoon after serving a yellow card-induced suspension at midweek vs. Getafe. He stepped right in and delivered another masterclass from both a passing and scoring perspective, passing the ball into the bottom-right corner for another trademark finish.

Modric and Casemiro were just as good. The Croatian was unlucky not to have scored, given the all-around excellence of his performance and his desire to score. Modric himself had a couple of close calls from distance, and he was once again robbed of an assist by Marco Asensio. His clever flicks, tricks, outside-the-boot-passes, and unparalleled vision stole the show.

But we need to save praise for Casemiro. He has been tremendous defensively of late, and he produced some of the finest tackles we have seen in 2021. Casemiro gives Real Madrid as much defensive sturdiness as the center backs and is truly vital to the team. True Madridistas do not neglect to offer praise for Casemiro whenever he does well. Per WhoScored.com, the Brazilian defensive midfielder had six tackles to match his No. 6 role.