For the second time this season, Real Madrid dropped points to Villarreal in a 0-0 draw. Unlike their earlier meeting, Real created far more chances in this one, thanks to a furious second half that was a total rebound from another lifeless first-half performance.
In some ways, Real were unlucky and hurt by some atrocious none-calls at the expense of Vinicius Jr., who was hit in the face in the penalty box on two occasions. But Madridistas know they cannot make excuses about the refs after a first half that was that bad and after missing a handful of big opportunities in the second stanza.
Here are the player ratings from Real Madrid’s 0-0 draw with Villarreal at the Estadio de la Ceramica, just days before they face PSG at the Parc des Princes in the Champions League.
GK Thibaut Courtois
Thibaut Courtois made a couple of big stops and had to show calmness on the ball. His biggest save may have been from his own teammate’s errant clearance, as Marcelo had quite the shocker at the back.
Rating: 7.0
LB Marcelo
Awful. Marcelo looked good against Granada, producing his best performance for Los Blancos in quite some time. But he was back to his worst against Villarreal, getting toasted by Samuel Chukwueze multiple times. How he did not surrender a goal from one of the many times Chukwueze beat him one-on-one or from one of his three poor clearances is beyond me. Marcelo is the luckiest man on the pitch that Real Madrid did not concede, and aside from one nifty switch to Marco Asensio, it is not as if he was any good offensively either.
Rating: 2.5
CB David Alaba
David Alaba made one crucial block and completed about 99 percent of his 83 pass attempts. So he was solid. But he wasn’t spectacular and did not impact the team’s build-up play like he usually does.
Rating: 7.0
CB Eder Militao
Meanwhile, Eder Militao was even more impressive than Alaba, making a few decisive recoveries defensively. He impressed Madridistas again with a hefty shoulder to Danjuma in the penalty area. Militao’s long-range passing remains underrated, and his reading of the game really should get praised more. He had a whopping 11 clearances in this clean sheet.
Rating: 8.0
RB Dani Carvajal
In truth, I expected more from Dani Carvajal, whose passing was quite poor. He was not involved enough in supporting attacks, which especially hurt Real Madrid in the context of how poorly Marco Asensio played as the right winger. Fede Valverde was also invisible in the first half. That said, Carvajal did fight hard defensively with five tackles.
Rating: 5.0
CM Toni Kroos
Toni Kroos was one of the better players on the pitch for Real Madrid, which is what you would expect from a man with his consistency. Real probably wanted to sub out Kroos before the 90 minutes to give him extra rest before PSG, but with how poorly things went in this game for Real at times, that was not going to happen.
The 32-year-old completed 94 percent of his 98 passes, including three key passes and 14 of 16 long balls completed. Kroos’ balls switches to the right were the only plays that opened things up on a flank that looked absolutely dead for much of the 90 minutes. Had a few of his teammates been more active, Kroos could have ended with more praise for his performance.
Rating: 7.5
DM Casemiro
Like Kroos, Casemiro was also excellent in midfield. His defensive contributions cannot go underrated, as he made a few vital interventions, including one ingenious pick-off of a pass that could have led to a goal for the ever-dangerous Samuel Chukwueze.
Casemiro completed all nine of his long passes, recorded six tackles, and even blocked a pair of shots. Without him, Real Madrid surely would have conceded and lost this match to Villarreal at the Estadio de la Ceramica.
Rating: 8.0
CM Fede Valverde
After changing the game off the bench against Granada last weekend, there were shouts for Fede Valverde to start not just against Villarreal but also potentially against PSG. Those shouts have largely subsided after an overall below-average performance from the Uruguayan.
Valverde was anonymous in the first half, when you would have expected him to be one of the most lively players on the pitch. He did significantly better in the second, though, creating a clear-cut chance for Vinicius Jr. with his pressing. Still, you have to say it was too little, too late. He was not nearly involved enough.
Rating: 5.0
LW Vinicius Jr.
The best attacking player on the pitch for Real Madrid, Vinicius Jr. drew a handful of fouls and easily could have drawn double that number. Vinicius Jr. was struck in the face by Raul Albiol as he tried to press the keeper, and then he was elbowed in the face during a free kick by midfielder Dani Parejo. Shockingly, neither infraction was punished.
Throughout the match, Vinicius was looking to take Villarreal players on one-on-one, and he was Real’s only genuine threat for the first 45 minutes. Vini was too hot to handle, even for Juan Foyth. He did everything he could to create for his teammates, but when the golden opportunity came his way, he could not take it.
Rating: 7.5
CF Gareth Bale
Although Gareth Bale also missed a good chance by taking too many touches, he should likewise be praised for a positive day at the office in the attack. Bale carried an attacking threat, as he hit the crossbar and forced a big save, with those chances the result of his intelligent movement off the ball. Carlo Ancelotti seems to have Bale planned as the starting right winger against PSG, and after this performance through the middle in an unideal starting position, you have to say he has earned an opportunity.
Bale did not get much service for most of the game, but he made his own chances through his experience. He can get better from here, but this was an encouraging display for the Welshman.
Rating: 7.0
RW Marco Asensio
Marco Asensio, however, was awful. After being the matchwinner last weekend against Granada, Asensio held his team back against Villarreal and was a huge reason why Real Madrid did not score. Marcelo was rubbish defensively, and Asensio was just as poor as an attacker.
He was a ghost for the 77 minutes he played. The stats show that he had three key passes, but it is hard to say that any of those chances were created through his ingenuity. Asensio was the biggest reason why the right side of Real’s attack could not function at all, and that helped Villarreal congest the middle of the field, which plays into the fact that Bale received so little service for much of the match.
Rating: 3.5