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Real Madrid have started the year in ominously bad fashion as they slumped to a defeat at the first game of the year at Santiago Bernebau.
Real Sociedad came out as the victors against a highly weakened side, as Santiago Solari had his options limited due to injuries to Bale, Asensio, and Mariano. The injuries to key starters meant that teenager Vinicius Jr. was handed his first league start in front of his home fans.
Jose scored for Sociedad from the penalty spot in the third minute. Sociedad played a very compact system and pressed every opportunity they got, never allowing Real's playmakers too much time on the ball to cause havoc in Sociedad's defense.
The teams came out of the second half with intent to score as Madrid came close through Lucas Vasquez, but his shot was blocked. Moments later Oyarzabal missed a beautiful chance to double his side's lead, flashing high of Real's crossbar for a goal kick.
Vinicius and Madrid looked to threaten and grab the equalizer quite a few times but were stopped by good goalkeeping, great defending and just poor finishing. Ruben Pardo, a second-half sub for Sociedad scored after being on the pitch for 10 minutes,
This result puts Real Madrid fifth in the LaLiga table after 18 games. Here are the talking points from the game.
#1 Sociedad's gameplan
Real Sociedad's players and Imanol Alguacil deserve all the credit for their historic victory as the visitors were not intimated by the occasion or the venue, giving the European Champions a run for their money for the entirety of 90 minutes.
The men in grey pressed and played hard for the entirety of the game and never allowed Real Madrid to settle and play their natural game with ease. They executed their plan to perfection, which led them to their first win at this venue in over 15 years. An evening to cherish for everyone associated with the club.
#2 Questionable refereeing
Vinicius Jr. was brought down by Geronimo Rulli in what almost everyone except Jose Munuera believed was a penalty. VAR showed that Rulli dived in at the Brazilian's feet, making contact with his body instead of the ball.
Later, Adnan Januzaj stopped Kroos from dribbling away by taking the ball from his feet with his hand. The assistant stopped the play immediately and moments later, Luka Modric was booked by the Spaniard.
Thibaut Courtois' goal-kick a few minutes later was into the path of Vinicius. The teenager leaped in the air with Elustondo, who fell down with no contact from the Brazilian, who raced away and had only Rulli to beat as Sociedad's defense was caught out, but the play was stopped on for a foul by Vinicius.
It was a very poor showing by Jose Munuera, and due to that amongst a few other reasons, Real slipped further behind Barcelona in the LaLiga rankings.
#3 Madrid's injury bug has cost them the season
Real Madrid went into tonight's fixture without marquee player Gareth Bale, who picked up yet another injury in the previous draw against Villareal.
They were also without Marco Asensio, who's been injured since his substitute appearance against Kashima Antlers, and Mariano Diaz, who's been more absent than present for the Blancos so far this season.
Real Madrid has been having injury concerns throughout the season. Every player in the starting XI, barring Courtois, have faced a spell on the sidelines.
An already weakened squad keeps getting weaker with every game it seems, as the knocks and suspensions keep piling up for the capital club.
Julen Lopetegui's reign fell apart due to several injuries striking at once and no adequate cover available, and Solari's reign is taking an eerily similar turn, as the Argentinian has faced three losses in his time at the hot seat, despite not facing a truly worthy adversary.
#4 Vinicius is Madrid's best attacking threat
Vinicius Jr. got his first start in the league at the Santiago Bernebau against a strong opponent, coming in for the injured Gareth Bale at the left wing that was previously manned by Cristiano Ronaldo.
The No. 28 had the best outing of any Madrid player, looking threatening every time he got on the ball, leaving defenders wondering as to what his next move could be with his majestic stride and quick feet.
The 18-year-old has only played a very small role in Madrid's season so far, but as someone who sees every Real Madrid fixture, one can safely say that he is the most dangerous attacking option the European Champions possess at the moment, with Asensio looking a lost man, Benzema being himself, and Bale injured often.
The Welshman's brittle nature means that Real must genuinely consider starting Vinicius, as he showed more verve than any other Real player has all season.
#5 Marcos Llorente> Casemiro
Alright, this may be a bit biased, considering I've followed Marcos' career since his Alaves days and could be called a fanboy, as I believe he could be the best midfield talent to come through the Blancos' ranks in an incredibly long time.
But watching the team play without him in the past couple of games has only re-affirmed what I always knew, but wasn't obvious to the World, that Marcos Llorente is a superior player than Casemiro.
No offense to the Brazilian, as I haven't forgotten how crucial he has been to the club's success this decade, but his deficiencies were covered up by the boatloads of goals the team was scoring.
But that's the thing, they aren't scoring as much anymore. And defensive mistakes are costlier than they used to be, now that the club has Karim Benzema as their attacking fulcrum instead of Ronaldo.
Casemiro's careless play in the opening minutes started Real's downfall against the mid-table strugglers and it could just be rustiness, given he returned from a month's layoff, but the Brazilian is more error-prone than his Spanish counterpart.
The thing about Marcos is, his game doesn't have such flaws like the Brazilian, as he doesn't have to take needless and rash risks like the burly No.14, due to his superior positioning, reading of the game, and raw pace.
The Spaniard has been ruled out for several weeks with a groin issue he picked up in training before the Villareal game, and I just hope and pray that he gets to return to his starting role, as the team looked much better with him than it does without him.
