Real Madrid: 4 takeaways from a 0-0 second leg draw with Liverpool

Marco Asensio fell back down again

Marco Asensio scored four goals in four matches and seemed to be turning a new leaf, but he took a bit of a step backward against Liverpool this Wednesday night. He worked hard defensively, but it was so disappointing watching his movement offensively.

The 25-year-old right winger squandered counterattacks with poorly-placed passes or runs that basically enabled defenders to close any possible passing lane to him. As great as Asensio was with his first touches and technique, he was poor with his decisions in the final third. He doesn’t think quickly enough off the ball and doesn’t help his teammates. Karim Benzema did a great job leading counters, which were Real’s best chance of getting an away goal in this one, but Asensio did not help him out by making himself available.

In total, Asensio had just one key pass and one dribble completed while losing the ball multiple times. Asensio deserved to be taken out sooner than Vinicius Junior for Rodrygo Goes, because he offered zero threat for Real Madrid. After being so clinical for multiple games in a row and making good decisions, Asensio looked like the struggling forward we saw for much of the 2020-2021 campaign. Hopefully, he improves this weekend against Getafe, which could be a tricky one.