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Real Madrid showed the world the value of experience in football’s most prestigious competition.
Real Madrid have done it again. Once again, they have performed extremely well under pressure. Whenever they find themselves in a difficult situation, they put on an incredible performance and win the hearts of the fans, as well as winning the game itself. This game against Borussia Monchengladbach was no different. In what was easily their best performance of the season, the team clicked at the right moment. They were ball. That is something that is not said about Real Madrid these days, given how inconsistent and deficient they have been. But that wasn’t the case in his biggest game of the season so far. They knew what was at stake and they presented themselves as a devil. The best (or worst) thing is that it could have been a lot more than just 2-0.
Honestly, I haven’t seen the team play that well in over a year. The last time I enjoyed a Real Madrid performance this There was a lot there in November last year, in the match against PSG or in the match against Galatasaray the previous day. It was beautiful, and this too. Aside from (unfortunately) Vinicius Jr, each and every player performed very, very well, or did what they had to do as they didn’t see much of the ball. Raphael Varane did his job very well, Courtois saved a couple of shots, but was largely untested. Rodrygo had a great assist and a couple of other fantastic crosses. The rest? Absolutely brilliant performances from all the remaining headlines. I will give you some examples.
After months of watching a mediocre and exhausted Casemiro since the continued lockdown after last season, we finally saw the Casemiro we know and love. It was easily his best performance of the season, and it’s not even close to second place. He did almost everything right. His passing was great (except on a few occasions); He had that beautiful pass to Rodrygo in preparation for the second goal. Defensively he was as healthy as ever, although he didn’t have much to do. He had two tackles, won both, had 15 presses and was successful in six of them, which was the highest percentage (40%) for anyone attempting more than five presses. He had seventeen recoveries, the third highest of the season. He did not lose the ball at all. In short, great performance. It seems that he is close to returning to his best level.
Karim Benzema is the leader of this team’s attack. It helps in the preparation, in the attack, in times of high press of the opposition. You know very well what it does. When he plays well, the team plays well. It is directly provided. Well Karim Benzema played Really good. As with many other players, this was his best performance of the season and, like the rest of the team, the guy appeared when it mattered most. Two great goals, two great headers, along with so many more chances that were fantastically saved by Yann Sommer (he even hit the crossbar once!). He had five key passes and four passes to the penalty area, completing 54 of his 57 passes (94.7%), his highest numbers this season, both in terms of attempts and completions. 70 touches, again, its highest figure this season. He could have easily scored a hat-trick if luck were a little more on his side.
Toni Kroos was amazing too. Again another seasoned player who has won more Champions League trophies than most clubs, just like the players I have mentioned above and below. He was absolutely brilliant in this game. He had that calm feeling and, as always, he made that simple move to get off the press with such grace. Even in those situations, he never fumbled the ball once. 107 touches, 96 of 103 passes completed. You know what this guy can do.
Lucas Vázquez, in the simplest way I can say, had possibly the best game of his entire career. Five key passes, 117 touches, beautiful assist, defensive sound, and a billion other things while playing in a position that isn’t even his own? This performance deserves a lot of praise. Wow.
Luka Modric is a gift from God. He showed us exactly why he’s still around. It was his best game in two and a half years, by far. It reminded me of his performances in the era of the three mobs. The big ones. He is 35 years old. He’s been playing non-stop for so long, and he dropped this performance as if it was easy to do. The best player on the court in that game, possibly. Everything he touched turned to gold. I repeat, he is 35 years old.
From being almost out of the group stage in a humiliating way to winning the group, Real did it all in one game. That too, with style. That’s what experience gives you.
Real Madrid continue with the most important streak of matches on the calendar so far, then facing Atlético de Madrid. With the way they are, every player would have to be in their prime if the team has any chance of beating the league leaders and gaining a head-to-head advantage.
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