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Coming off the back of a defeat in their first pre-season fixture against Bayern Munich, Real Madrid would have been seeking to bounce back with a victory against Arsenal in the USA and that was exactly what happened as the La Liga giants defeated Arsenal on penalties to hand the Gunners their first defeat in four pre-season fixtures.
It was however not smooth sailing for Zizou's men, as they had to battle back from two goals and a man down to equalize and force penalties.
While Zidane would be impressed with the resilience shown by his players to claw back from the jaws of defeat, he would have been sourly disappointed with the output of some of his players.
In this piece, we shall be highlighting three players who were most disappointing for Real Madrid against Arsenal.
Also See : Arsenal Transfer News, EPL Transfer News, La Liga Transfer News.
#1 Eden Hazard
Hazard completed his dream move to the Bernabeu earlier in the summer, but in his two appearances thus far for Real Madrid, the Belgian is yet to hit the heights.
His showing against Arsenal was arguably worse than that of Bayern Munich, as he failed to make a mark on the game in ways which have been a hallmark of his illustrious career.
The 28-year-old spotting a number 50 jersey started on the left hand of a midfield four, but perhaps as a consequence of his unfamiliarity with the role, Hazard was a virtual non-presence throughout his time on the field.
Eden Hazard played for only the first 45 minutes against Arsenal and it was telling that is only meaningful contribution was when he inadvertently deflected a Toni Kroos shot at goal with his backside.
In total, the former Chelsea man failed to muster a single shot on goal or create worthy chances for his teammates and it is telling to note that his replacement Gareth Bale scored a goal, while Asensio and Vinicius also starred.
Eden Hazard is probably the only forward in the current squad guaranteed of a starting spot next season and is the player upon whom Real Madrid's hopes are hinged and while his performances can be excused due to this being pre-season fixtures, he would do well to step up once the season commences.
#2 Nacho Fernandez
Having started from the bench in the fixture with Bayern Munich, Nacho Fernandez was handed a start against Arsenal.
It was however a disastrous showing from the Spanish international, as it took just five minutes for him to be shown a yellow card after he had a lapse of concentration to let Saed Kolasinac get behind him before bringing down the Bosnian with a clumsy challenge.
Three minutes later, he was given his marching orders for stopping a goal bound shot by Alex Lacazette and the Frenchman buried the resultant penalty.
Nacho's recklessness left his teammates with a huge mountain to climb and even though they ultimately prevailed, their job could have been made much easier if Nacho had maintained more composure.
As far as performances go, this one by Nacho ranks high up there with the worst and seeing as his position in the Real defence is far from certain owing to new additions to the players already available, the 29-year-old did not do enough to give Ramos and co. headaches.
#3 Karim Benzema
Karim Benzema started the game brightly enough, forcing a save from Martinez in the Arsenal goal as early as the second minute off a powerful left-footed drive.
Six minutes later, Nacho's dismissal forced Zidane into making a change, as he had to sacrifice one of his forwards to maintain defensive solidity.
The choice was between Benzema and new signing Luka Jovic, with the gaffer opting for his compatriot, but the former Lyon man failed to repay the faith reposed in him, as he was virtually a passenger for the rest of the first half.
After his early chance, Benzema did not get a sniff at goal again until first half injury time when he headed against the bar from a Toni Kroos cross when he should arguably have done better.
Karim Benzema was by far Real Madrid's best player last season, but his display against Arsenal fell some way off the heights we are used to from him.
