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Real Madrid had to visit SD Eibar on matchday 13 of their LaLiga campaign. This was the first game that Real was playing under Santiago Solari, after his appointment as permanent coach. The match which should have been a straightforward victory for Real Madrid ended in a horrific way for the Los Blancos, as they lost by a three-goal margin.
This was Eibar's first ever victory against Real Madrid. More than the loss, it would hurt Madrid as they were outclassed on the pitch. After a run of wins, they completely forgot that weaknesses still subside. They had to rely on late goals against Valladolid, and their humongous victories came against Plzen and Melilla.
Real Madrid missed a golden chance to close the gap between them and the league leaders Barcelona or Atletico Madrid. A win today would have seen Madrid on level terms with Atletico, at least until they play against Barcelona. Moreover, Madrid is still out of the top 4 in the league. Eibar played brilliantly for the majority of the 90 minutes and deserved to win in front of their home crowd.
Escalante gave Eibar an early lead which was followed up by two second-half goals by Kike and Sergi Enrich. Here are five talking points from the game.
#5 A poor starting line-up selection by Santiago Solari
This was Santiago Solari's first game as permanent manager, and he made a fatal error in it. The starting 11 always seemed an improper one. With Gareth Bale struggling for form, Solari started with him. Bale hadn't completed even one dribble in the last match against Celta and completed one dribble against Valladolid.
He was utterly weak in passing against Celta as well, completing only about 58% of all passes, being a winger. Today he failed again, was deficient in controlling the ball and hardly showcased any pace.
The benching of Isco and Vinicius was more questionable. Real Madrid has always looked better when Isco is on the pitch, and still, Solari benched him. Not only today, but Isco has been benched for three consecutive matchdays. So, Solari trusts Bale even after a streak of poor performances while he is keeping Isco benched for no reason.
A mediocre team selection by Solari.
#4 The Real Madrid midfield is poor again and forwards are even worse
Real Madrid's midfield has been out of the song for quite some time. The midfield is the heart of any team and Madrid are really suffering in the middle part of the pitch. #
In the last few games, Kroos and Modric do have a lot of possession but they don't have the number of passes and through balls that should be there with that possession. Real Madrid was outclassed by Barcelona, no possession for the midfield. Against Valladolid, a poor performance again, relying on two late goals.
Today against Eibar, even worse. Modric was absolutely horrendous. He passes at 82%, fine. But how many did he try, only 33? 33 passes from a midfielder should be labeled as nothing but horrendous. No creation, no ball retention, no through passes, the defense was dead. Both Modric and Kroos are to be blamed as they are the experienced campaigners.
The forwards are no better. When there are minimal chances, you have to convert them. Real Madrid had only three shots on target today. The other good chances that came from the wings were not anticipated by Benzema and Bale. The keeper always gathered the cut-backs. The first touch was poor from Bale who was completely desolate. Benzema although more involved couldn't deal with the pressure from the defense.
A poor showing from the midfield and defense.
#3 The left-wing of Eibar hurts Madrid
The attacking-minded teams always try to move the ball into the wings to stretch the defense and create opportunities. In normal circumstances, it should have been Madrid that dominates the wings but this time they got hammered. They were outplayed in the left wing primarily.
All three of the goals came from cutbacks from the left wing. Eibar created a lot of opportunities from the left wing in the first half as well, although they got only one goal. Real Madrid's defense breathed heavy in the first half. Alvaro Odriozola had a really bad time in the right-back position. Even got dribbled by a young Cucurella.
The introduction of Carvajal had little effect. The third goal came from a driven in across, from the left wing, while Carvajal did little to stop it. The wide midfielders of Eibar did really well in pouring in crosses from the left wing. Eibar created 14 shots on goal.
While Eibar attacked hard from the left side, Real Madrid attacked hard from the right side. Real's right-hand side is the left for Eibar. Bale was silent for the entirety of the 90 minutes which shows that the left side defense of Eibar completely smothered him.
The left-hand side of the pitch had the most action for Eibar in both halves and that is what hurt Real Madrid.
#2 Defensive lapses continue to occur from Madrid
Johan Cruyff has said that football is a game of mistakes. The person making the fewer mistakes turns out to be the winner. While making mistakes is perennial, the defensive lapses of Madrid are occurring in some or the other way, week-in-week-out.
It was their poor positioning that caused them against Barcelona and Sevilla earlier this season. Against Alaves it was complacency. And today against Madrid, it was poor defending of crosses and poor clearance.
Eibar was attacking seamlessly from the left wing and poured crosses in. Ramos and Varane managed to clear most of the chances but the ones they did not hurt them. The crosses should have been cut off from the source itself. But Odriozola did little to stop them.
When in the box, the Eibar players attacking the cross were put under no real pressure. The second goal from Sergi Enrich highlighted the minimalistic pressure. Time and space, plenty of it and a clear sight at goal. What else does a striker need? The first and third goals could have been stopped but Madrid was caught ball-watching and did not clear the immediate danger of the follow-up.
Madrid's defence is making far too many mistakes.
#1 Marc Cuccurella passes Barcelona first-team test with flying colors
Marc Cucurella is currently on loan from Barcelona to Eibar. The left-back was loaned so as to get first-team minutes in the league and then return as a back-up for Jordi Alba. Cucurella started out as a wide midfielder against Real Madrid.
He was involved in all three goals heavily. Although he got only one assist to his name, the other two were taken away from him because it deflected off another player. Cucu did a great job in the wide areas in stretching the defense as well as passing with accuracy inside the box.
With today's performance against Real Madrid, he has proven that he can light up big games. Barcelona does not need to think twice before instating him for the first team. Dooming the Los Blancos is easier said than done and Cucurella helped his team do it today. Could this be the future in the El Clasicos? Who knows.
