Real Madrid: 5 takeaways from a lethargic 0-0 draw vs. Villarreal

Real Madrid have their center backs to thank

A quick shoutout to Thibaut Courtois for making two more massive saves to keep Real Madrid in a match, but I need to save most of my words of praise for the two starting center backs, David Alaba and Eder Militao. They have been good all season long, with Alaba showing no need for an adjustment period at the most high-pressure club in the world.

Real have defensive issues, but that should not be conflated with issues in central defense. The defensive issues are structural or in midfield. Alaba and Militao have excelled despite the myriad of issues in front of them, and they were at their fire-extinguishing best on Saturday night at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Militao is so good at winning one-on-ones and beating attackers in off-the-ball chess matches. Alaba has been the more active of the two, reading the pitch with interceptions and making the kinds of tackles that only an experienced, world-class defender can make.

Truly, Real Madrid deserved to lose this match against Villarreal. But they did not, thanks to these two colossal center backs. According to WhoScored.com, Militao had four tackles and four clearances, while Alaba had two tackles, two interceptions, and five clearances.

There are many things Real must fix if they want to be highly competitive in the Champions League this season, but the starting center backs are not among the list of problems.