Controlled much of the half but again nothing to show for it. Service was horrible from the wings. Mendy is super athletic and was solid defensively but offers little on the overlap going forward. No Marcelo or Hazard is killing any creativity down the left. Isco and Valverde have been excellent. This is shaping up to be another dominant performance wasted when they can't finish and give up something weak on the counter.
I thought for sure Real was getting a goal the last 10 minutes. As you said it’s hard to be disappointed with a point on the road but this felt like a missed opportunity.
How do they not even go and take a look at that? The ball hit his arm/hand twice. Under the new rule ANY touching whatsoever during the build up is a foul
1. It's Odriozola. 2. He was inconsistent and struggled when given the chance to start which lead to Zidane losing faith and essentially passing him over. 3. He's better suited as a wing back rather than a traditional RB 4. With Hakimi almost certainly returning at the end of the season his time in Madrid is most likely coming to an end and this loan is a pseudo audition for potential buyers. 5. He just turned 24 and is still relatively young. If given regular playing time I wouldn't be surprised to see him turn it around and have success at a fringe CL/Europa level club like Sevilla/Bayer/Arsenal/Roma etc
I would think so although with his lack of minutes this season I wouldn't want to see him out there in a critical match. I've barely seen any Bayern since Flick took over, does he push the fullback high up the field?
Yeah, especially on the left with Davies. Not so much with Pavard due to his pace and not being able to get back on counters. He seems content to let Kimmich play defensive mid, which he prefers, so that’s pretty much thinned is completely out with the Sule and Hernandez injuries. The only real back line sub we have is Javi Martinez, who’s been awful when called on and belongs at DM
Vallejo was recalled from his loan at Wolves and sent to Granada. Between him, Lunin& Ceballos they’ve fucked up quite a few of these recently.
Not controlling the controlling the midfield the way they should with 5 men. Benzema completely isolated and taken out of the game with no support. Gonna need a second option up top
Very solid win. Mendy is going to be a monster if he can add any sort of consistent threat going forward.
That’s awesome dude, very jealous. Were you able to make it to any games or other parts of the country?
Nope, it was a short trip. I've always liked Zizou and with Ronaldo gone it's much easier. Spoiler I bought a Madridista membership, don't tell literally anyone.
I still feel like I'm living in a bizarro world but it's nice to have you back and even nicer to have someone else to talk to in here. Hopefully they take control quickly Thursday and allow Hazard to get a stress-free 15 or 20 minutes
I’m curious to see if he can gel quickly enough to add some dynamism. For as good as the defense has been, having like 5 CMs on the pitch hasn’t created much for Benz to work with. Do you know Bale’s timeline?
That's very true, which is still surprising to me. On paper a midfield with guys like Isco, Modric, James and Kroos available should be able to create centrally much more than they've shown but time and again the attack stagnates, Benzema/Jovic/Bale etc become totally isolated and disappear from the game like we saw in the first half Saturday. Fingers crossed that Hazard can regain his form quickly because the season will be defined by that stretch that begins in about 3 weeks. Only thing I've seen on Bale is that it was reported to be a slight sprain and would only need a week or to heal. Wouldn't be surprised to see him this weekend.
If nothing else, Zidane has shown he can make key adjustments. I’m hoping for more Vici. Isco seems done, idk. Luka is supposed to be a dead man walking and I thought he did well last time out.
His play ebbs and flows but he seems to be back in Zidane's favor as of recently, though he didn't have a very good game Saturday. With the arrival of Eden and the emergence of Vinicius and Rodrygo it seems his future is in the central midfield and not on the wing like with the national team.
Roster looks good. I'm curious to see the formation he pulls out for the first half. Copa is one of the few tournaments in which los blancos don't hold the record for total titles so...
Good question. Neither Eden nor Bale made the squad list for tomorrow but I guess that's not too surprising given the opponent and the 1 game format now. More noteworthy is Casemiro being rested and Carvajal missing. I'm guessing Nacho will fill in again but curious what he does with the midfield. He seems to love the width Vinicius and Rodrygo provide but wouldn't be surprised if he wants an extra body in the midfield with 14 out.
Brahim a surprise starter Here's a link if you don't have espn+. Use link 4, 5 or 6 https://www.ronaldo7.net/video/real-madrid-live/real-madrid-live-streaming.html