Real Madrid Player Ratings: Vinicius Junior the hero again in 2-1 win at Elche

Real Madrid did not make it look easy again, but they got the job done against a very underrated Elche side that played some beautiful football in front of their home fans. Los Blancos held on, only conceding from another sloppy Casemiro pass, as David Alaba and Eder Militao put on masterclasses in defense.

Their elite work at center back, a continuation from what we have seen from them this season, was matched in the attack by none other than Vinicius Junior. The Brazilian scored a brace on just two real chances, stepping up big-time with Karim Benzema rested.

GK Thibaut Courtois

Thibaut Courtois made one huge save. As always, he is a player Real Madrid can rely on in goal.

Rating: 6.5

LB Marcelo

Marcelo had his bright moments offensively (though, in all honesty, not enough) and recovered some balls in the attacking third, but his actual defending continues to leave Madridistas nervous. He is nowhere near the action when the opposition counters. Marcelo is too slow to recover and sometimes unwilling to even mark a player in the box. He did not have a terrible day, but if Elche were more clinical, perhaps we’d be singing a different tune. I’d also like to highlight the fact that he completed fewer than 75 percent of his passes, which is an even bigger problem for a player who does not help defensively.

Rating: 5.0

CB David Alaba

David Alaba was masterful with his positioning and did a lot to make up for the poor tracking-back from his teammate at left back. A former left back himself, Alaba did join the attack a couple of times, attempting one skill move to try and set up a Vinicius hat trick. Alaba, as usual, made a few crucial blocks, stopping two crosses that could have easily led to goals. There is no doubt that he has become a leader for this team. In total, he finished with seven clearances, two blocked shots, and 94.2 percent of his passes completed, per WhoScored.

Rating: 8.5

CB Eder Militao

Whereas David Alaba was the center back who covered and got in the way of shots as a last line of defense, Eder Militao was the one stepping up and making key interventions and recoveries to start counterattacks. The Brazilian had four tackles, two interceptions, and a blocked shot of his own. Like Alaba, he also completed over 94 percent of his passes. Militao has been on a tear in the month of October, and he deserves all the praise in the world. We have seen how close he is to becoming world-class, and he will earn that distinction with more performances like this one.

Rating: 9.5

RB Lucas Vazquez

Aside from one nice cross to Marco Asensio, Lucas Vazquez did not do much that was overly impressive for Real Madrid against Elche. But more importantly, he didn’t make any major missteps defensively, even against a tough assignment with Johan Mojica and Fidel on his flank. So for that reason, it was another positive day at the office for the makeshift fullback.

Rating: 6.5