Seville? Tick. Borussia Mönchengladbach? Tick. Atletico Madrid? Tick. Real Madrid completed the perfect week with a 2-0 victory in the Madrid Derby. They have answered many skeptics and answered many questions, some of which are discussed below, while this victory also creates some new questions that are also discussed.
Three responses
1. Would Zidane do something specific to face this new Atleti?
At his pre-match press conference, Zinedine Zidane was asked about Atlético de Madrid’s new system of three on his back and if he felt the need to change his approach because of what Diego Simeone has been doing. His rather vague answer was that he wanted Real Madrid to focus on what it could do. When the lineups came out on Saturday night, it was clear that Zidane was serious. He was not going to reform his team in response to what Atleti has changed. He went for his classic 4-3-3, with which he won so many Champions, many times against Atlético. In the end, it was Simeone who was forced by the opponent to change his tactic, and the Argentine traded his back three for a back four very early.
2. How would Marcos Llorente fare against his old club?
Marcos Llorente is, of course, a former Real Madrid player and comes from a Real Madrid family. However, when he faces Los Blancos, he doesn’t have many happy memories. When he was on loan at Alavés, he couldn’t play in the Basque team’s two defeats against Real Madrid that season due to the “fear clause.” Since he moved to Atlético de Madrid, he hasn’t had much luck either. Before this weekend, Llorente had played 20 minutes of last season’s LaLiga 0-0 draw, played 90 minutes of Real Madrid’s 1-0 victory in LaLiga last season and played the extension of Real’s Super Cup Madrid. Even in the pre-season friendly 7-3, Llorente entered with the score already at 6-1, so Atleti lost 2-1 in the 25 minutes they were on the field. But, this is a new Llorente. This was the first derby since the Spanish change of position. So how would you do it? Well, it didn’t do much at all. Ferland Mendy closed it and that was a subtle key to Real Madrid’s victory.
3. Would Mateu Lahoz make this a good derby or a bad derby?
When it was announced that Antonio Mateu Lahoz would be the referee for this match, Spain complained heavily. The corny referee is one of the most controversial officials in memory, but he can actually be a good referee for big box office games like this one. Mateu Lahoz tries to keep the game flowing as much as possible and does not call for all fouls. That was the case in this game and there were fouls and yellow cards that both teams got away with. But, for fans who watched it, this helped make the show better. Casemiro even praised Mateu Lahoz after the match, calling him “the best”. “It’s solid and it explains things to you,” said the flyer about the referee. It was not a perfect performance from the man in the middle, but I think most can admit that it was an overall good performance tonight from Mateu Lahoz.
Three questions
1. Has Real Madrid created a plan to stop Atlético’s new system?
This match could be worth more than just three points for Real Madrid because this match could have created a plan for other teams to copy when they face Atlético de Madrid, and that could be huge in damaging Los Colchoneros’ title chances. Simeone has only been using his 3-4-3 system for a few weeks and no one has been able to stop him yet, but now other coaches will have seen how Real Madrid caused Atleti so much trouble by filling the midfield with three excellent passersby. In Atleti’s new system, it really only has two central midfielders and, in the first half here, Koke and Héctor Herrera were overwhelmed. Other coaches may not have a midfield like Toni Kroos, Luka Modrić and Casemiro, but they can draw some valuable lessons from this game. If you have wingers good enough to take care of Atleti wingers on their own and if you fill up the midfield, things will open up.
2. Will we see Carvajal and Lucas together more often?
Dani Carvajal and Lucas Vázquez have played together since 2011, as both were in Castilla. However, they had only played together twice this season before this derby: the 1-1 draw at Villarreal and the 2-0 win at Inter. Against Atlético again, they formed a very good pair on the right. Lucas, of course, had been filling in for Carvajal as a right-back in recent weeks and there were times in this game where Lucas was the one closest to Thibaut Courtois. The duo often switched positions, especially in the second half when they were on the touchline next to the dugout, and Zidane was often seen communicating with the Spanish pair. This Carvajal-Lucas forehand double could be a useful device in the future. Let’s see when Zidane unleashes it again.
3. Will there be another drop for Real Madrid on Tuesday night?
It has been a great week with victories over Sevilla, Borussia Mönchengladbach and Atlético de Madrid. No doubt about that. But, as Zidane said after the game, Real Madrid still haven’t won anything. These three wins against tough opponents only matter if Los Blancos can also add up to the three points they are expected to score against weaker opponents. This Tuesday he plays at home against Athletic Club, 11th classified. This is a game they should win. This year it is not a good Athletic Club team. There’s not much rest before that Tuesday night LaLiga game, but Real Madrid need to show they can pull off both routine and heavyweight wins.
