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#4 The victories masked underlying weaknesses
Real Madrid’s disastrous run under Lopetegui was characterized by poor finishing, lack of creativity, disorganization and defensive instability, and while the first two have been rectified somewhat in the three matches under Solari, the latter two have still been seen in shades.
Real Madrid posted 2-0 and 5-0 victories over Valladollid and Victoria Plzen respectively, and while they might seem like comfortable scorelines, it is not a true reflection of what went down in the matches.
Against Valladollid at the Bernabeu, the visitors gave as much as they got, and had Real Madrid pegged on the backfoot for much of the match, hitting the post on two occasions, and would have left the Bernabeu with something but for poor finishing. Real Madrid were uninspiring throughout the match, as they showed the signs of a team lacking in confidence, and needed two very late goals first from Vinicius Jr who forced an own goal from Kiko Olivas in the 83rd minute, and then an injury time Ramos penalty to see out the match, and end their winless run in La Liga.
Their first leg against Plzen on matchday 3 of the UCL was largely a close affair where Plzen could also have gotten something, so it is with that inspiration coupled with the knowledge that Real Madrid was there for the taking that made the Czechs come out in full force against the defending European champions.
For the first 15 minutes of the match, Real Madrid were rattled and could not get out of the blocks for the life of them, as Victoria Plzen dictated everything on the field, and pulled off some smart saves from Courtois, as well as hitting the post, before Real Madrid rallied, scoring four goals in 20 minutes to get their very convincing victory.
Sometimes victories conceal weaknesses, and Real Madrid’s three matches thus far have been examples of this, so it would be foolhardy to believe the club has turned the table on evidence of their results under Solari.
