Real Madrid announced their arrival into 2022 in supreme style at home against Valencia after looking out of rhythm for the first two games of the year, especially in the first loss against Getafe, which was simply unacceptable from Real.
The good thing is that this squad moves on from such disaster results quickly. Their performance against Valencia shows that they have forgotten about their disaster class at the Coliseum and are looking ahead to continue a season that has progressed brilliantly for Los Blancos up to the mid-way mark.
As such, an important fixture awaits Carlo Ancelotti’s men up next. They’ll travel to Saudi Arabia to play the Spanish Supercup Semifinal against eternal rivals FC Barcelona. No matter the difference between the two sides, Clasicos are never that simple. It’d be an important fixture given this competition would be the first to distribute medals and Los Blancos deserve some tangible recognition for their work so far. The title would be the perfect morale boost for the remainder of the season. Here are my picks of the players who could decide this fixture.
CM Luka Modric
Luka Modric was the star of Real Madrid’s midfield against Valencia. While his partners, Toni Kroos and Carlos Casemiro’s performances showed massive upgrades from the loss against Getafe, Luka Modric still was in a league of his own. Other players need a reset from time to time. Real’s 36-year-old maestro has just kept on going for the whole season so far. I do not really remember a match this season where Modric didn’t leave his mark. Even on his worst day, he manages to do much more than your regular midfielder.
Against Valencia, he was all over the pitch. Making passes, getting key touches, and at times recovering the ball. He led the team with 3 key passes (tied with Kroos and Ferland Mendy) and his progressive passing was Real Madrid’s crucial ammunition to aid the attack.
It is now two back-to-back matches where the Croat hit the bar with an almost identical technique. I hope it is third time lucky against Barcelona and he finally gets his goal. Against an arguably weaker Catalan midfield, Modric would once again be Los Blancos’ key player in the middle to control the play and hopefully win them the game.