Real Madrid Player Ratings as Isco, Eden Hazard step up in 2-1 win over Elche

CM Toni Kroos

Toni Kroos started in order to help Real Madrid find quality in the final third, and he did a great job of making sure Los Blancos were always effective in their build-up play. Beyond that, he couldn’t really impact the game against Elche’s defense. His 90 minutes were solid enough, but, in truth, we have seen better performances from the world-class No. 8. Even on a mediocre day by his standards, though, he was still above average.

Rating: 7.0

DM Eduardo Camavinga

Many Madridistas were surprised to see Eduardo Camavinga come off the pitch, because he was the team’s best player alongside fellow young star Vinicius Jr. Camavinga was in the “6” role with Casemiro rested, but he ceded his responsibilities to the Brazilian in the second stanza.

Active as ever, Camavinga came close to scoring with a couple of strikes and was always willing to push the ball forward. Fans want to see more of that attacking intent from the Frenchman, who has the quality to be the best No. 8 in the world one day, albeit a different kind of 8 than the current Madrid man donning the kit number.

Rating: 7.5

CM Fede Valverde

He was so invisible that I almost forgot to rate him. Fede Valverde is a good player, but if you did not watch him in the previous two seasons, you’d be forgiven for wondering why he is so highly rated by Real Madrid fans. Valverde is great at carrying and recovering the ball, but he has not progressed in other areas. Against Elche, those other aspects of his game were called into question by the defending team, and Valverde did not answer them, offering only tame recycling of the ball.

Rating: 4.0

DM Casemiro

Casemiro came onto the pitch for about 48 minutes, and it’s puzzling why. He was not an upgrade on Eduardo Camavinga in any sense, as he made poor passes and was not even a defensive upgrade. In a game in which Real Madrid were chasing a goal, Carlo Ancelotti is fortunate that other players stepped up. Because Casemiro did not.

Rating: 5.0

CM Luka Modric

Luka Modric entered the pitch at the same time as Casemiro and was more effective than his long-time midfield partner. The Croatian completed a little over 90 percent of his passes and injected real quality into a right side of the formation that was embarrassing itself for much of the match. Modric had an exquisite key pass with a backheel, which Vinicius Jr. could only direct weakly into the arms of the keeper.

Rating: 7.0

CM Dani Ceballos

A positive cameo from the former Real Betis man. I do not know what the future holds for Dani Ceballos, but he can be a quality player for someone. If he builds on this appearance off the bench, perhaps that can be with Real Madrid.

Rating: 6.5