Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti decided to start both Marco Asensio and Nacho Fernandez, and while fans were skeptical due to their struggles this season, both men got on the scoresheet in the first half.
Los Blancos conceded to Granada star striker Luis Suarez, but they pulled away with a truly dominant second half that showcased the very finest of #CarloBall.
Here are the player ratings for Real Madrid from their 4-1 win over Granada at Los Carmenes.
GK Thibaut Courtois
Thibaut Courtois made a big stop in the first half when Granada were only down 2-1 and were threatening to equalize. You can always count on him to make the big saves when the opposition is trying to creep back into the match. He had another one very late to deny Jorge Molina.
Rating: 7.5
LB Ferland Mendy
Ferland Mendy had a rocky start to the match, hesitating on the ball too much and making bizarre decisions off the ball that cost his team possession. By the end, Mendy finished strong, cooly finishing Real Madrid’s fourth goal.
Rating: 7.0
CB David Alaba
David Alaba was tremendous. He made so many excellent interventions and interceptions, and you can see he knows all the little tricks to stave off pressing attackers. The Austrian superstar is the general of this back line. His highlight was forcing one of Granada’s stars, Antonio Puertas, into literally falling over himself untouched to give away the ball on a promising counterattack.
Rating: 8.5
CB Nacho Fernandez
Nacho Fernandez scored a well-taken second goal for Real Madrid off a set piece. After questions regarding his over-aggressiveness in defense this season, Nacho did not put a single foot wrong in Carlo Ancelotti’s starting XI this weekend, giving Eder Militao some well-deserved rest in central defense. The veteran Madridista blocked two shots, made a handful of clearances, and completed nearly 99 percent of his passes.
Rating: 7.5
RB Dani Carvajal
An all-action display from Dani Carvajal. The right back was tremendous against Rayo Vallecano before November’s international fixtures, and he was tremendous again in this win over Granada. Attacking players may steal the spotlight, but Carvajal was there busting a lung, putting in crosses, recovering the ball, and doing everything he could to support the team. The unsung hero of this win, Carvajal had three tackles, two interceptions, and seven clearances in a flawless defensive performance.
Rating: 8.0
CM Toni Kroos
Toni Kroos assisted both goals, with the second for Nacho Fernandez being a brilliant, driven ball after a well-worked corner kick routine with fellow. star midfielder Luka Modric. He nearly scored a great goal from range. Kroos is in tremendous form, and since he has retired from the German national team, the No. 8 is fresher than ever this season. Kroos is controlling matches, creating scoring changes, threatening from distance, and even looking livelier defensively. He better not get snubbed by the Ballon d’Or shortlist again! You can scarcely find a negative play when he is on the pitch.
Rating: 9.0
DM Casemiro
Casemiro is usually going to give you a puzzling play or two, but he more than made up for one hilarious decision with a delightful assist to seal the match at 4-1. The No. 6 was sharp in this one on the ball, completing all seven of his long balls with a pass completion percentage over 93 percent on a team-high 87 pass attempts. He also had three tackles and could do nothing about the unlucky deflection for the Suarez goal. Casemiro has turned up his performances to a solid level since the turn of Kroos.
Rating: 7.5
CM Luka Modric
Luka Modric made a stellar run off the ball and unselfishly tapped it to Vinicius Junior for Real Madrid’s third goal of the afternoon. The Croatian sensation continues to blow minds at the age of 36, and it is truly unfair to every other team in Europe how good he remains in midfield. By Modric’s standards, this was just another day at the office. But for any midfielder, it was another solid display in a supportive role for the attacking pieces.
Rating: 7.0
LW Vinicius Junior
Some people quipped that Vinicius Junior had his worst half of the season. I thought that was a bit harsh. The giveaway did lead to Luis Suarez’s goal, but there are so many of those kinds of loose balls that don’t get punished, so we cannot be unduly harsh to the young winger.
Vinicius was tremendous in the second half. He even got a player and Granada’s manager sent off after a very cynical foul, which was preceded by several smaller fouls from an obviously frustrated Granada side that was totally overmatched.
In the end, Vini was brilliant once more. He had a whopping five dribbles completed and three fouls drawn, per WhoScored.com. Oh, and he scored a goal, making it 17 goal contributions in 17 matches this season.
Rating: 7.5
CF Karim Benzema
Karim Benzema didn’t look at his best to start the match either, and we can all tell that his duties with France are taxing on him. That said, the Frenchman had a solid game up top, all told. He had a great header to Vinicius Junior to set up a close chance late in the match, as well as a hockey assist to Luka Modric for the goal Vini did score. Benzema did not have any goals or assists, but he did have three key passes, showing how involved he was in the match as a whole.
Rating: 7.0
RW Marco Asensio
Since his ACL tear, this was the best complete match I have ever seen from Marco Asensio on the right wing. I am more impressed with this performance than with the hat trick at Mallorca, because this is more translatable to future success. After an encouraging match against Rayo, albeit with some consistency problems, the 25-year-old put it all together at Los Carmenes for the full 90 minutes.
Asensio scored an early goal, taking advantage of a mistake from Granada. He did not contribute to another goal, but he was constantly threatening. Asensio had a sweet volley, a delightful roulette, and a few threatening passes. The man looked confident, competent, and in a tweaked role that now suits him. Let’s see if he can build on this.
Rating: 7.5