Real Madrid vs. Osasuna Player Ratings from a frustrating 0-0 draw

LW Vinicius Junior

Vinicius Junior had a very good game, in spite of the fact that Real Madrid carried almost no threat offensively. Because the offense was essentially either passing from Toni Kroos or one-on-one dribbling from Vinicius. The left winger took on the Osasuna defense head-on throughout the match, as it sometimes seemed like Vini was going on it alone against five men at a time. He led the team with three key passes, and, like Toni Kroos, you also get the feeling he deserved better from his teammates.

Rating: 7.5

CF Karim Benzema

I have to be honest and say that this was Karim Benzema’s worst performance of the season, though he has set such a ridiculously high bar this year that it’s not a huge insult. Benzema had some neat moments on the ball, and he even nearly created a goal from nothing that stands out as the closest Real Madrid came to scoring vs. Osasuna. That said, his positioning against teams that play ultra-defensive remains suspect. There were multiple times when someone looked to find the striker around the six-yard box, and Benzema was nowhere to be found. Despite a couple of aesthetic moments, Benzema didn’t create much that was meaningful, and you’d expect more from him.

Rating: 5.5

RW Marco Asensio

Marco Asensio was the worst starter on the pitch and genuinely had a stinker of a match, reinforcing the notion that he cannot be starting as a right winger for this team. But we already knew that. Although Asensio had a couple of positive moments, such as tracking back defensively on the Moncayola shot and making one nice run into the six-yard box, the bar is so low with him (opposite of Benz) that any remotely decent footballing move is praised. Asensio did not have much of an impact on the match as an attacking midfielder and was thus subbed off for Eden Hazard. Once again, Asensio just isn’t assertive enough as a forward.

Rating: 4.0