Three positives and three negatives from Real Madrid’s 2-2 draw with Elche

Positive 3 – Eder Militao is on the way to becoming the next Sergio Ramos for Real Madrid, in attack

Eder Militao is the tallest Real Madrid outfielder on the pitch, and he has to be the obvious target for Kroos or Modric during any set-piece. His height and strength enable him to get onto the end of crosses with ease, but he has experienced some problems in directing the cross towards the goal.

Last season against Osasuna, Militao got to the end of two crosses, but couldn’t score from those free-heading situations. He got third-time lucky and he did score the winner of the game, but it was clear that he needed some training in set-pieces. This season, he missed one such free header in a 0-0 draw against Villarreal. With not many aerial targets in the team, Militao had to take advantage of his set-piece chances.

He finally seems to have worked on it, as he has scored a very important header today, which is his second headed goal in the last two weeks. And this goal came at a crucial time, in Ramos time to be precise. He also looked very comfortable and threatening while going forward from the right flank, which is further evidence that Militao is keen to channel his inner Ramos.

Another positive we can take from this game is that Karim Benzema’s injury is not serious, according to the initial reports, and he was taken off only as a precaution.