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Real Madrid suffered their first defeat of the season on Saturday, becoming a very worrying performance when they fell 1-0 against Cádiz. There are so many questions and we address them here, looking at three that were answered and then three that this defeat threw up.
Three responses
1. Will Real Madrid be affected by the FIFA virus?
The FIFA virus is one of the favorite terms of the Spanish media in the week following an international break. It refers to the way that so many players suffer injuries or fatigue while participating in matches for their national teams and Real Madrid have shown the symptoms of the FIFA virus in the past. On this occasion, last year, they lost to the newly promoted Real Mallorca after the international break in October 2019. So would they feel any effect this year? Okay, yes. 100 percent. It’s not just that Real Madrid lost, but they looked so lethargic in the first half of it. Everything was slow. Everything was imprecise. There was an example in the first half when Luka Modrić got caught on his own line and a terrible attempt at control saw him kick the ball for a Cádiz corner kick. That wouldn’t happen in a normal week, but it is what happens after a week of globetrotting international soccer. The Real Madrid players were jetlagged, even the Europeans. It was a disaster.
2. What would Fernández’s duel be like?
It was Nacho vs. Alex Fernández in this match, with the two brothers finding themselves on opposite sides. With Nacho on the right back and Álex on Cádiz’s left flank, the brothers were not only on the same pitch, they were directly challenging each other for most of this match. It turned out to be one of the most interesting individual matches since Álex is a star man for Cádiz and since Nacho can be seen as a weak point in the rear of Real Madrid. There was no clear winner in their individual battles, but Alex won the day as his team scored all three points.
3. Why did Real Madrid wear pink at home?
Real Madrid did not play at the Bernabéu, but they did play at Di Stéfano and they were the home team for this match. So why were they wearing pink while Cádiz appeared in its usual yellow? Well, officially it was because it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and because Monday is Breast Cancer Awareness Day in Spain, a great cause that Real Madrid has traditionally supported in other ways. Unofficially, it was for marketing. Much like when Real Madrid wore green at home to Espanyol last season to “support the fight against climate change”, even when the Bernabéu heaters were blazing over the heads of fans, one of the main underlying reasons was marketing. This was the fifth time that Real Madrid played at home not in white, with these five times in 1951, 1961, 1967, 2019 and 2020. Personally, I hope this is not a pattern and I hope it does not happen again in 2021. Real Madrid are not supposed to wear colors other than white at home, especially not because of an unsubtle attempt to sell jerseys.
Three questions
1. Did Zidane rotate too much?
All teams have to rotate throughout the season and elite clubs must do so at least a little after an international break. But, did Zidane rotate too much in this game? He made five changes compared to the starting eleven of Levante’s victory before the international break, giving opportunities to players like Marcelo, Isco and Lucas Vázquez. Then at halftime, Zidane made four changes during halftime, seemingly admitting that his starting lineup was not up to scratch.
2. How serious is Ramos’s injury?
One of the changes Zidane made at half-time was the entry of Éder Militão by Sergio Ramos. In this case, it was not a tactical touch-up, as Ramos had to leave with an injury after suffering a severe blow to his left knee. Zidane was typically vague when asked about this in his post-match press conference and we will have to wait for the center-back to come to tryouts to find out the extent of the injury. Considering that Shakhtar Donetsk and Barcelona are getting closer over the next seven days and considering the worst Real Madrid always looks when their leader is missing, this is a huge question mark and a huge concern.
3. What will be the response to Casemiro’s comments?
Casemiro had some interesting comments after this game. The first half was bad and everyone who saw the game knows it, including Casemiro. And, after the game, the Brazilian criticized the attitude of the first half. The only problem is that he did not play the first half, as he entered the break. As he explained: “I find it difficult to talk about the first part because I was not there, but the attitude in the first part cannot be what it was.” Casemiro was telling the truth. The first half was particularly terrible. But, there is always something a bit troublesome when a teammate criticizes a performance they weren’t a part of. The good thing is that he is Casemiro and he has a lot of respect from his teammates in the dressing room. Hopefully, they listen to you and take your analysis into account because it is accurate.
