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Real Madrid kept their hopes of winning the La Liga title alive as they defeated Villarreal 3-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu. With this win, Madrid remain a point away from league leaders Barcelona and second-placed Atletico Madrid.
Here are major talking points from the match:
Villarreal’s gloomy run on Madrid’s turf continues
Villarreal played Real Madrid for the very first time in 1998 at the Santiago Bernabeu. Ever since, the Yellow Submarine haven’t had the best of times on Real’s home ground.
They have never beaten Los Blancos at Bernabeu in the last sixteen league games. Tonight’s win means that Zidane’s men now have twelve wins and four draws against the visitors.
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Barcelona played Deportivo before Madrid’s match. Their massive 8-0 win meant that the home side had no room for error and they ensured they maintained the pressure on the league leaders. Positioned in the centre circle, Modric and Kroos took turns to move ahead with the ball.
The win means Madrid have now won eight games on the trot in La Liga. They’re impressive average of 3.85 goals in these eight games took a slight hit but Zidane wouldn’t mind that one bit. With just four games left to play, He realizes the importance of grinding out results. Although the score line paints a completely different picture.
Danilo not yet at ease in Zidane’s system
Off late, Real Madrid’s Brazilian left back has had to deal with the ire of the Los Blancos faithful. The twenty-four-year-old was booed prior to their match against Eibar recently and tonight was no different. Under Zidane, Madrid play fluid, vertical football.
His system demands exquisite close control and literally thinking off your feet. But Danilo seems to be finding it difficult to keep up with Madrid’s pacey gameplay. He conceded possession cheaply on more than one occasion and was guilty of making the wrong pass at critical instances.
With Carvajal out due to injury, Zidane chose to play Danilo. Heading into the business end of the season, Madrid and himself will be hoping he returns to form as soon as possible.
He definitely has the skills but an apparent lack of confidence seems to be hindering his development. His amazing chipped cross for Modric’s goal showed exactly what he is capable of.
Kroos peaking at just the right time
When the 2015-2016 season began, there were doubts about playing two creative midfielders. Over time, the German has adapted his game to the requirements of his team wonderfully well. While Kroos has definitely curbed his creative instincts, he’s more than made up for it in other departments.
Along with Benzema, he makes it a point to press the opposition centre backs and tonight was no different. Every time Villarreal’s players pondered on the ball, he tried to catch them off guard by pressing them high up the field.
Casemiro complimented his gameplay to the letter. The German made some important interceptions and wasn’t afraid to run deep into the heart of Villarreal’s defence when given the opportunity. He didn’t make a single misplaced pass which did no harm to his 94% pass accuracy rate in the league. German precision at its best.
Marcelino’s Villarreal a tough nut to crack
The away side have the second best defensive record in the league for a reason. They’ve conceded just two more goals than Barcelona in the league- 29. Villarreal are a well drilled team and it took forty-one minutes for Real to score the first goal keep their title chase alive.
No team in the Top Five European Leagues has scored lesser headed goals than the Yellow Submarine this season. They’ve managed just one and a certain Frenchman decided to remind them of this statistic.
The opening goal came courtesy a Karim Benzema header who had an open goal to aim at - his twenty third in the league. But for large parts, Marcelino’s men looked at ease in the first half when defending and were successful in keeping Madrid at bay.
Cristiano Ronaldo switched positions from the wings to central areas more often than regular. The Portuguese was constantly denied space which meant he had to keep shuffling in the final third of the pitch.
Lucas Vazquez makes full use of the opportunity
Gareth Bale sat this one out due to a slight calf injury. With James and Isco available, Zidane surprisingly fielded Lucas Vasquez on the right wing. The twenty-four-year-old didn’t disappoint at all. He was a constant threat from the flank and showed no inhibitions in taking on his full back.
Lucas may not have the trickery or even the blistering pace that’s normally required from a winger. But he continues to display some old fashioned wing play that we rarely see in today’s game. He did the simple things right.
The Spaniard was rewarded with a goal for all his hard work. He ran at the opposition defence with intent and blasted the ball low, past keeper Asenjo. The goal took his tally to three this season.
Vasquez also has five assists to his name as he continues to exhibit his new found love to perform in front of Madrid’s 85,000 faithful.
