Real Madrid know very well that no top LaLiga side looks forward to a trip to Balaidos against Celta Vigo. Iago Aspas and his talented teammates nearly led an upset of Los Blancos, but they fell short in the end. Los Blancos won a trio of penalties, with Karim Benzema converting two of them, and that made up for another poor tactical display from a very inconsistent Real side.
Meanwhile, Thibaut Courtois was splendid, strengthening his case for being the team’s most important player this season, alongside the likes of Benzema and Vinicius Jr. in attack/
Here are the player ratings from Real Madrid’s difficult 2-1 win over Celta Vigo, which comes days before a date with the side that knocked them out of last year’s Champions League, Chelsea.
GK Thibaut Courtois
The best player on the pitch without a shadow of a doubt. Thibaut Courtois made a trio of big saves, with none standing out more than his stop to deny LaLiga icon Iago Aspas another splendid free kick goal. Courtois is so good at avoiding mistakes, reading the game, and making great stops that also make sure the ball is away from danger. He did this well with his save from Denis Suarez’s long-range strike, as he both needed to see the ball AND execute the save properly so that the ball went over the bar instead of in a dangerous area.
Rating: 8.5
LB Ferland Mendy
Although Ferland Mendy put in a good shift defensively, I am continually underwhelmed with his attacking work. He is just not offering enough support for Vinicius Jr., and there are even times when he just runs in a straight line and gives the ball away. He did well to earn a penalty, though, so I guess that counts as an attacking contribution.
Rating: 6.0
CB David Alaba
Another good performance from David Alaba, who made a lot of important blocks and clearances for his team. He had a hell of a battle with Iago Aspas and seemed to have to mark three players at once, such was the lack of tactical organization from Ancelotti-squared. Alaba would probably like a more cohesive gameplan, so he could have more freedom to help the build-up play and secure possession.
Rating: 7.0
CB Eder Militao
Eder Militao was one of the few positive performers for Real Madrid in this narrow victory over Celta Vigo. Not only did he win the first penalty, but he was active defensively with a tackle, a blocked shot, two interceptions, and four clearances. We have seen more dominant performances from the 24-year-old central defender, but this was a good display in terms of his footballing IQ and consistency. He did not make mistakes and had a lot of covering to do, as the right flank was horrible for about an hour.
Rating: 7.5
RB Lucas Vazquez
Lucas Vazquez got to start over Dani Carvajal in light of the veteran right back’s poor performance in El Clasico. Well aside from one nice cross to the back post for Karim Benzema, Vazquez was not much better. Javi Galan was clearly superior to Vazquez, who flailed around defensively and was sloppy in the attack, aside from, again, a couple of good passes. Clearly, Vazquez is no solution, and for as much as we have criticized Carvajal, he shouldn’t really be starting over Carvajal.
Rating: 4.0
CM Toni Kroos
Toni Kroos was, for my money, Real Madrid’s best midfielder in this match before being subbed off in the final minutes for Dani Ceballos. The ex-Bayern man completed a little over 94 percent of a team-high 69 pass attempts, including nine of nine long balls. There is no pass that Kroos cannot make, as he showed several times in this match. His composure and defensive contributions were solid, though, like his teammate Luka Modric, you wonder if a better tactical structure would have helped the 32-year-old provide more end product for his teammates. Kroos has, in all honesty, suffered quite a bit from Zinedine Zidane leaving.
Rating: 7.0
DM Casemiro
Casemiro had a whopping seven clearances and even added a pair of key passes. He played decently enough, though you get the feeling that his lack of ball security is always going to hold Real Madrid back. Real are having a crisis of identity in how they want to play, and with their propensity for sitting back and lacking control, that actually highlights Casemiro’s weakness on the ball even more. It puts him in more situations where he could potentially gift the other team opportunities, and that does not play to his strengths offensively.
Rating: 6.5
CM Luka Modric
Taken out in the 73rd minute for the young Fede Valverde, Luka Modric didn’t have a banner game against Celta Vigo. That’s not to say he was bad – he rarely is – but the man who was decisive for Croatia over the international fixtures did not have nearly the same impact for his club at Balaidos. He drew three fouls and completed about 94 percent of his 49 pass attempts, but, as has happened so often this season, he spent much of the game dribbling through crowds and managing crises than rather creating or controlling. Modric forced one good save, but you wonder if Fede would have been better as the starter in this specific matchup.
Rating: 6.0
LW Vinicius Jr.
I usually give Vinicius Jr. high marks, but I thought he was pretty poor against Celta Vigo. The second-best player in LaLiga, Vinicius was not much of a threat and spent a lot of time engaging in petty wars with Celta Vigo players, which threw him off his game. He was whistled for six fouls, drawing only three. That’s the return you expect from a defensive midfielder like Casemiro and not a creative left winger. Vini, in truth, did not create anything for himself or his teammates, and he did not even win one of the three penalties. He did, however, lose the ball frequently. This was a game to forget for the standout forward.
Rating: 4.0
CF Karim Benzema
Karim Benzema converted two of his three penalties, missing the one in between because he did not take notice of the keeper’s (very) early dive. If you are not going to look at where the keeper is going before shooting, then you had better get the power and placement exactly right. Benzema did not do this.
But nevertheless, the Pichichi leader now has 24 goals on the season and continues to be decisive for Real Madrid. As with Thibaut Courtois, you cannot imagine this side without Benz. He is just too important. In addition to the two goals, he had two key passes, working hard for the team, even if there wasn’t much out there for him besides the penalty chances.
Rating: 7.0
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RW Marco Asensio
What more can I say about this guy? He is truly not good enough. I mean it. Marco Asensio has no business being offered a contract extension this summer. Once again, he was invisible for stretches of the match, mercifully subbed at the hour mark, with Real Madrid improving significantly upon Rodrygo Goes’ inclusion into the match on the right wing.
I am not sure there is a worse starter at a forward position among the top Champions League teams than Asensio. His performances against PSG should have been enough reason to never start him again. This display at Balaidos really should seal his fate – and his future in Madrid. I cannot overemphasize this point. He is not good enough.
Rating: 3.0