The month of October is in the books, and Real Madrid did a great job of bouncing back from some setbacks in this telling run of fixtures. They began the month with an embarrassing 2-1 loss to Espanyol, which was on the heels of a loss to Sherrif and a poor showing in LaLiga the previous weekend against Villarreal.
But Real returned in style after the October international fixtures, with a healthy Ferland Mendy and Toni Kroos making all the difference in a 5-0 blowout over Shakhtar Donetsk. Real then won El Clasico and rectified a 0-0 draw with Osasuna by beating Elche this past weekend.
The fixtures will get tougher as the Fall rolls on, and LaLiga is definitely competitive with Real Sociedad and Sevilla mounting serious title challenges to make up for Barcelona’s downturn.
Let’s take a look back at the month of October and hand out some player ratings for Real Madrid’s protagonists.
GK Thibaut Courtois
Overall, it was another solid month between the sticks for Thibaut Courtois. He didn’t have much to do in most of the matches and could not be faulted for any of the goals Real Madrid conceded. His standout performance was against Shakhtar, as he made a splendid save late in the match to preserve his clean sheet.
Rating: 6.5
LB Ferland Mendy
Ferland Mendy was one of the most important players of the month of October. He immediately changed the team’s fortunes, winning important tackles in the defensive third within the first 10 minutes of an eventual blowout over Shakhtar. You know, the team Los Blancos lost to twice in the 2020-2021 Champions League campaign.
Mendy was also solid defensively in El Clasico, aside from one occasion when Sergino Dest got the better of him. It’s wonderful to have him back.
Rating: 7.5
LB Marcelo
Marcelo came off the bench against Osasuna and wasn’t bad, though Real Madrid failed to find a breakthrough. He did not fair much better in a surprise starter against Elche, completing under 75 percent of his passes. Defensively, Marcelo was as much of a liability as usual. Carlo Ancelotti cannot prefer him to Miguel Gutierrez.
Rating: 5.0
CB David Alaba
David Alaba was another major standout in the month of October, and this is the second straight month in which he has been one of Real Madrid’s best players. He is truly a commanding presence at the back, protecting both Madrid’s goal and his teammates. Alaba can produce moments of magic in the attack, too, as evidenced by his passing and his thunderous go-ahead goal in El Clasico. Madridistas could not be happier with how this signing has turned out.
Rating: 8.0
CB Eder Militao
If the theme of October was bouncing back, then Eder Militao embodied it. After an off night against Espanyol to start the month, the Brazilian center back went on a tear, even upping his strong form from the month of September.
Militao was arguably the best player on the pitch for Los Blancos in the clean sheet draw with Osasuna, and then he delivered a true masterclass in central defense against Elche. Vinicius Junior found the back of the net twice, but Militao was so brilliant defensively that he may have been the Man of the Match. He and Alaba are truly a wonderful complement.
Rating: 7.5
CB Nacho Fernandez
Nacho Fernandez was woeful the previous month, and he started October with a real stinker in central defense against Espanyol. Ancelotti has not started him since, and Real Madrid are better off for it. His stock has truly fallen.
Rating: 3.0
RB Lucas Vazquez
The Galician started four matches at right back for Real Madrid, and aside from a rough night against a familiar club in Espanyol, he acquitted himself well. Vazquez was one of the heroes of El Clasico, scoring a late goal through sheer determination that ended up being the winner, seeing how Sergio Aguero scored moments later to make it 2-1. He was also solid in the 5-0 win over Shakhtar, which was an opponent he struggled with last season.
Rating: 6.5
RB Dani Carvajal
Dani Carvajal looked off against Osasuna. He is not 100 percent yet. When he is, Los Blancos will be a much better team.
Rating: 5.0
CM Fede Valverde
We begin with a young star who only started once for Real Madrid in October, and it was a nondescript performance in the loss to Espanyol. Hopefully, he gets more minutes in November.
Rating: 5.5
CM Eduardo Camavinga
Eduardo Camavinga made a huge splash upon his Real Madrid debut with a goal at the Santiago Bernabeu against Celta Vigo, and he had the winning assist not long after in a 1-0 Champions League win at the San Siro.
Camavinga has not been as impactful as a starter, though, and his performance against Osasuna can clue you in why. He is forcing things, eager to impress. What else explains the ill-advised challenges? Camavinga will be a star, but patience is key.
Rating: 5.0
CM Toni Kroos
Toni Kroos shook off the rust against Espanyol in his first game back from pubalgia, and he was consistently in a match rating range akin to his iconic kit number, 8. The German international was even in control of matches in which Real struggled to dominate chances, such as El Clasico and the following draw with Osasuna. You get the feeling that Kroos will have his best run of assists in the near future. And Madridistas cannot wait to see him play with Kylian Mbappe.
Rating: 7.5
DM Casemiro
Casemiro had an above-average month of October when you tally it all up, but he was all over the place at times. Not unusual for him this season. The defensive midfielder was tremendous against Shakhtar with a fully healthy Toni Kroos back in the picture, but he was far less assured on the ball against Barcelona and Elche. This past weekend, Case had a giveaway that led directly to a goal, though he made up for it with a strong defensive performance, including a breathtaking last-ditch tackle. Still, you get the feeling the technical staff could become concerned if more of these errors occur.
Rating: 6.5
CM Luka Modric
Luka Modric, to nobody’s surprise, looks so much better out there with Kroos back in the lineup. He finally looked like himself against Shakhtar and was just as brilliant in a big win over Shakhtar. The Croatian picked up an assist for Vinicius Junior this weekend against Elche, and he could have had another assist if Mariano Diaz were just a tad more composed in a similar situation. LM10 should have a fantastic month of November on the horizon.
Rating: 7.0
CF Karim Benzema
Although this was a good month for any striker, it was a surprisingly quiet month by Karim Benzema’s ridiculously high standards. The Ballon d’Or candidate was not good against Osasuna, and he did not have as much of an influence on El Clasico as he would have liked. Still, he was wonderful in the first two matches of the month, playing a very underrated role in the five-goal party against Shakhtar.
Rating: 7.0
LW Vinicius Junior
Vinicius Junior was definitely Real Madrid’s best player this month. He has reached a new level, even above what we have seen from him earlier this season. This is truly Vini’s time. The Brazilian left winger started the month with a tough task against Espanyol, as there was no width behind him due to Carlo Ancelotti’s strange decision to play a 4-4-2 with Eduardo Camavinga and Fede Valverde as wide men.
Thereafter, Vinicius dominated. He scored some spectacular goals against Shakhtar and Elche, playing an especially vital role in the latter match. Even when Real were not playing well, Vini was standing out. And he was the clear danger man in El Clasico, giving Oscar Mingueza an absolutely torrid time down the right-hand side of Barça’s suspect defense.
What a player he has turned himself into!
Rating: 8.5
RW Rodrygo Goes
We can only hope Rodrygo’s injury isn’t serious, because he had a productive October. The team’s best right winger right now, Rodrygo scored a nice left-footed finish against Shakhtar and put in a proper shift in El Clasico. Madridistas always appreciate how much Rodrygo defends.
Rating: 7.0
RW Marco Asensio
The same cannot be said for Marco Asensio. Out of any Real Madrid player who played a significant number of minutes this month, Asensio was definitely the worst player. His match against Mallorca seems like a mirage at this point. Asensio was shocking against Osasuna, embarrassing himself with his inactivity. And he did nothing to rebound in the following match at Elche after Rodrygo’s injury. Ancelotti will likely be more reluctant.
Rating: 4.5