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The most popular take away from the exciting 2-2 thriller match between Valencia and Real Madrid at Mestalla was perhaps: Never mock Barcelona on Saturday when Real Madrid are going to play on Sunday.And, the statement makes absolute sense. Just when you think, Madrid will clean up their mess and try to get an advantage with Barcelona dropping points and close the gap in the league table, they do the exact opposite, or exactly what Barcelona do. Drop points and fail to capitalize on their rival's slip-ups.Goals from Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale were canceled out by Dani Parejo and Paco Alcacer while Mateo Kovacic was sent off in the second half.Read more: Valencia hold 10-man Real Madrid to 2-2 draw at Mestalla [Match Report and Statistics]Here are the five most important points that demand discussion following the match:
#1 Will the Real \'Madrid\' please stand up?
'Cause I'm Real Madrid, yes I'm the real MadridAll you other Madrid are just imitatingSo won't the real Madrid please stand up,Please stand up, please stand up?
Yep, I’m actually quoting an Eminem track. Not the fans who were demanding Cristiano Ronaldo to get back up and work for the goal during the match instead of appealing for a penalty. I mean, it did look like a dive. Harsh maybe? It's for the fans to decide.
But, no. I am talking about the general situation of Real Madrid this season. They have lost points against Barca, Valencia, Sevilla, Villarreal, and Atletico Madrid which is a rather shambolic record for the club.
There's a lot that could be said about the refereeing in the match, but at the end of the day, referees in the Spanish leagues are notoriously known to make horrendous mistakes in the tightest and intense matches. Will things ever change? We don't know. However, having said that, a club of Real Madrid's stature should really be good enough to win matches without thinking about what the officials do and don't.
As things stand now, Real Madrid occupy the third spot in the Spanish league table with two points behind Barcelona who have a game in hand. It would definitely be the perfect time for the Real Madrid to stand up!
#2 Real Madrid manager loved more by Valencia supporters than their own
Is Rafa Benitez really satisfied with how things stand at Real Madrid right now? The team looks sluggish, the midfield goes missing in many of the big games and the defence has been lately leaking goals left, right and centre.
When asked about his future at the club, (which is almost a regular occurring now) this is what he had to say: "I cannot avoid other people speculating. What I can do is get the team to work as they have today. They made a great effort, and unfortunately, could not take the three points.
Now, ever since the appointment of Rafa Benitez as the head coach, he has been subject to criticism from supporters, and it was not surprising. Everyone liked Carlo Ancelotti, and the team under him looked more stable and happy in general.
There you had a manager who was loved by all and had just won the club their much-needed tenth Champions League title, and here you have, Rafa Benitez a controversial manager who was already being dissed by fans even before he had managed the first game.
Benitez has often been accused of being defensive after his team would take an early lead, and quite the same happened against Valencia where he looked almost to scared to try out things differently.
Valencia CF fans pay tribute to their former manager and current Real Madrid C.F. boss Rafa Benítez: "Rafa you gave us the best years of our lives. Thank you."
Posted by Sportskeeda on Sunday, 3 January 2016
Now, a lot has been said and reported about Benitez’s future at the club, and it is never nice for a manager to go through that so early in his tenure. But, then that is not very unusual for Real Madrid where the pressure is just a bit too high. No, actually its really high, making the job one of the difficult in football.
Read more: Five of the most difficult jobs in football
There is definitely a ticking time bomb that is waiting to go off for Benitez, and if the performance doesn't see an improvement in the upcoming days, the situation is will only going to get worse.
When asked if he was worried about his job security with Madrid losing a precious chance to close the gap on Barcelona, Benitez said,"You have the right to ask that question, but I believe it is not well directed. "We are mistaken if we just look at the result. The effort the team put in deserves praise, not anything else. They stood up to be counted and fought until the end."
#3 Gary Neville the manager is here to stay
The Valencia players put up a good performance under manager Gary Neville who is yet to win his first game as a manager in the league. It was earlier this week when he insisted that he wants to continue in his current role at Valencia even after the end of the season with his 6-month contract coming to an end after it was suggested that Neville wasn't looking to commit to the club for a long time.
But my commitment is there. The commitment with the family is there - the kids have got a new school. I plan to be successful. You can't plan on being a failure, he said.
What fascinated me was Nevilles choice of substitution which came right before Gareth Bale’s header. You could call it right timing or just lucky, but it proved to be a great decision from Nevilles end. Left-back Lucas Orban was replaced by winger Rodrigo in what seemed like an attacking move from Neville.
Just a minute and 10 seconds after conceding their second goal, Valencia equalised through Paco Alcacer. It was Andre Gomes who found an unmarked Rodrigo with a cross to the far post, and all Rodrigo had to do was to head it back to Alcacer who had no trouble putting it past Keylor Navas. The performance of 22-year old Gomes was worth noting. He is definitely someone to watch out for in the future.
Great football!
#4 The night for BBC
The goal scored by Karim Benzema to give Real Madrid a 2-1 lead was sublime. It was a work of a beauty, and just what you would expect from the trio of Bale, Benzema and Cristiano or more famously known as the BBC.
It was the French striker who started the move by finding Bale just outside the box who calmly flicked it forward for Ronaldo while pulling in two Valencia defenders towards him. Ronaldo then launched a no-look pass for Benzema who put it past the goalkeeper with a cool and calm finish.
What a goal indeed!
Gareth Bale would then go on to give Madrid the lead once again with a sublime header following a free-kick from Toni Kroos, proving once again that he has been the best performer for the Whites this season. It was his fourth headed goal of the season which is more than any other player in the league.
Cristiano may have missed the chance to get on the scoresheet, he displayed good decision-making skills during the match. Surely, the BBC coming back to form can only mean good things for Real Madrid.
#5 Real Madrid defence needs a lot of tuning
The weight of the sluggish Real Madrid defence seems to be getting a bit too heavy for the club to carry now as it was yet another poor showing from the defensive line with Pepe and Danilo striking out as clear weak links.
Pepe is clearly past his prime now and is at best the third best central defender at Real Madrid. His lack of speed proved to be too expensive for the team to ignore, and he should have just been replaced by Raphael Varane who was on the bench. Danilo, on the other hand, was out of position throughout the entire match, leaving a lot of space for Andre Gomes to work around in.
The decision to give Mateo Kovacic a direct red card for his late challenge on Cancelo could be called a bit too harsh or rather a much-needed tackle to save Real from conceding, it was still a very poor call from the midfielder who lost his calm at a very crucial moment.
If not for Keylor Navas’ solid performances this season, Real Madrid could have been in a very serious situation right now, and as the season goes forward, Rafa Benitez would want to address those problems as soon as he can.
