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Real Madrid played one of the strangest games in recent times on Sunday night and came out of it with a 4-1 loss. The main talking points from that loss to Valencia are discussed below.
Three responses
1. Will this be another action-packed night at Mestalla?
100 percent, this was as crazy a game as expected. Real Madrid fans often wonder “why is Valencia really facing us?” And, although I have no answer for that, it is true that Che always seems to enjoy the games against the capital’s team. That always makes matches entertaining, like last year when Thibaut Courtois’ corner incident occurred over a goal by Karim Benzema in the 1-1 draw. Considering there was also drama in the 100th minute when Valencia drew at home to Getafe last week, many expected this to be another action-packed night at Mestalla. And it really was, with so many VAR decisions and, frankly, weird moments. From a ridiculous own goal to a repeat penalty as Carlos Soler headed for a penalty hat-trick, this game had it all.
2. How much would Real Madrid miss Casemiro?
It was announced the day before the game that Casemiro and Eden Hazard had tested positive for COVID-19 and that they would miss this trip. Much of the attention was on Hazard because that was the juiciest starter, but the most troubling absence was always going to be Casemiro. The Brazilian has not had his best season yet, but he remains the anchor of this team and there is no natural replacement for him. Since he can’t really be replaced, the logical assumption that came into play was that Fede Valverde and Toni Kroos could work together to manage that area of the field, but the German did not start for reasons only Zinedine Zidane will know about. Although Valverde worked hard alongside Luka Modrić and although they did a good job at the beginning, Real Madrid are not the same without Casemiro. I’d rather Valverde could push and attack like he had in recent weeks. So let’s hope Casemiro is completely clear and comes back for the first game after the international break.
3. Would Martin Ødegaard play?
Martin Ødegaard had not played since the international break in October, but he was back in the team and available for it. So would you play? Well, it didn’t start because it was Isco who was selected to float behind Karim Benzema from the beginning. But Ødegaard came in in the 64th minute, just after Carlos Soler made it 4-1. Officially, he was replaced by Vinícius, but in reality he took the place on the right wing that Marco Asensio had vacated when he left for Rodrygo also in the 64th minute, with Rodrygo taking the place of Vini on the left. With a limited time and only 26 touches, it is difficult to judge the performance of the Norwegian. We will have to wait until after the international break to see it again. In the meantime, as Zidane said in his pre-game press conference, let’s hope he returns from international service at 100 percent.
Three questions
1. Why would you rest Mendy now?
Marcelo started ahead of Ferland Mendy and the reason has to be related to rest and rotation. There can be no other reason to choose the Brazilian ahead of the French for this game and the task of facing a fit and lightning-fast Yunas Musah. Marcelo wasn’t as poor in this match as he has been in others and technically received an assist on Benzema’s goal, even if number 9 still had it all to do when he received that pass. But Marcelo in defense is not as good as Mendy and it is disconcerting that he saw the entire game from the Mestalla bench, especially since Mendy has not been called up for the November squad of France. It will be nice and fresh after this break, then for two weeks without matches. It is a head scratcher.
2. Will Benzema return when club football returns?
In addition to the result, another worrying moment for Real Madrid came with the injury suffered by Benzema. The forward had to be replaced by Mariano as he suffered from a muscle problem in his left leg. It wasn’t looking good when Benzema limped away, but at least an international breakup is coming. Real Madrid’s next game is not until November 21 when they visit Villarreal. There might be enough time for the number 9 to recover, but it all depends on what the exact injury is and how severe it is.
3. When will we see three penalties against Real Madrid in the same game?
This is LaLiga’s 90th season and Real Madrid has been present in every season so far. However, this is the first time that Real Madrid have received three penalties in the same league match, according to Spanish statistician Mister Chip. Will this happen again? And when? Perhaps in the era of VAR, it won’t take another 90 years of top-notch football for this to happen again.
