Real Madrid struggled in so many facets of the game against Atletico Madrid on Sunday that it is hard to pinpoint the problems to just one phase of play.
Real Madrid were poor defensively, in the midfield, offensively, with the ball, without the ball. They could not press well, and they also could not keep the ball when Atletico Madrid decided to press them.
It got even more difficult in the second half when Dean Huijsen decided to get sent off for a clear and obvious goal-preventing foul inside the penalty area. That gve Atletico the advantage, and soon after that, the team’s confidence plummeted.
However, even when they had 11 men, they still could not do the one thing that would have been expected from them. They were not able to keep the ball against an Atletico team that typically sits deep and attacks in transitions or whenever Real Madrid leave out the obvious space behind their defensive line.
Real Madrid do not have another Bernardo Silva in the team, which is why he needs to play
Bernardo Silva, the team’s best on-the-ball midfielder, who can provide calm and control to the team to an extent, was not introduced to the pitch until the 82nd minute. Real Madrid would have done much better had the Portuguese midfielder been on the field from the start, and that is a huge mistake that cost Real Madrid a lot.
Maybe Los Blancos would have still lost the game either way, but at least they would have given the ball away less. At least they would have been able to keep the ball for longer. At least they would have had a midfielder who was not afraid of having the ball when Real Madrid needed a reliable player on it.
Yes, Atletico Madrid have changed their ways and have become more possession-oriented, but Real Madrid, even in games they lose or draw against their neigbours, usually dominate possession. That was not the case on Sunday, primarily because the two midfielders that started on the base of midfield were simply not good enough to keep the ball for long stretches.
There have been so many games where Silva looks exquisite with the ball. Obviously, that has not happened every single time, but whenever Silva is on the pitch, Real Madrid look much more comfortable and confident with the ball.
However, as soon as Aurelien Tchouameni came back, all of that was disregarded, and the same midfield that had struggled for two seasons in a row started playing together and struggling again.
These are things that need to change, because at this point, Silva needs to play every minute he possibly can. It is inevitable that without him, the team will struggle.
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