3 takeaways as Real Madrid demolish Mallorca 6-1 at the Bernabeu

Camavinga and Fede were good, but the team surely missed Casemiro

Alright, look, I said it in my player ratings and I’ll say it again: Camavinga had a solid game against Mallorca. He defended well, stayed deep to support the defense and generally dealt well with any danger that came his way. He was very tidy in possession, and played like someone who’s been at the club for a very long time.

But I wouldn’t say he did all the things Casemiro does. That’s because he simply isn’t the same player as Casemiro. His game is more focused on control, passing and intelligent positional play than it is on brute force and high defensive IQ.

There weren’t many moments throughout the game which had me close to getting up and shouting at the players because they did something wrong, but there were a few moments that made me think how it would be like if Casemiro was in this situation, or how his absence can be capitalized on in future games.

There was a visible gap between the midfield and the defense, and that’s where Casemiro usually does his routine Casemiro stuff. His absence allowed Kang-in Lee to make so many runs into the attacking third, and sometimes into the box, without anyone stopping him before. This sometimes forces the central defenders to push forward and try to win the ball (to be honest, they do that even when Casemiro’s on the pitch) and that leaves gaps in the defense.

Here’s the tough part now. Casemiro had a terrible game against a Valencia side that pressed a lot. What happens when some other team with higher quality plays against Real? Do they risk not playing Casemiro to have more control and press resistance? Or, do they go with the gamble and defend better with Casemiro on the pitch. Or, do they combine the two? That’s something Ancelotti will have to figure out when the time comes.

All in all, though, great game from Real Madrid. They got the job done with ease, and they didn’t have to rely on an awesome second-half performance to do it. They had an awesome game from start to finish.