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Atletico Madrid welcomed Real Madrid to the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium for the first Madrid derby of the season. Both sides were unable to find the net in a tough encounter that sadly ended in a stalemate. Real Madrid had more opportunities to take three points home, but their luck simply wasn't with them.
Diego Simeone opted to field his team in his standard 4-4-2 formation that saw Diego Costa and Joao Felix lead the attack line. Behind them, the midfield four contained Vitolo and Koke on the left and right wings respectively, with Thomas Partey and Saul Niguez sitting in the centre. The defensive four consisted of Renan Lodi on the left flank, Kieran Trippier on the right, and Jose Gimenez in the middle along with Stefan Savic. Jan Oblak was in goal and was as sharp as ever.
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Zinedine Zidane, on the other hand, opted for a 4-1-4-1 formation that kept Karim Benzema as the lone striker. His 4-1-4-1 could easily shift into a 4-3-3 or a 4-1-2-3 with very little tactical change. On the left-wing, Eden Hazard drove the attack, with Nacho in defence. On the right, Gareth Bale was set for attack, along with marauding defender Daniel Carvajal. In the middle, Federico Valverde and Toni Kroos held ground, with Casemiro playing deeper. In defence, Raphael Varane and Sergio Ramos held down the centre, while Thibaut Courtois was chosen in goal.
Notably, Real Madrid had twice as many shots as their rivals, but both sides were poor in keeping those shots on target. Atletico managed only one shot on target, while Real managed just three.
Beside this, Los Blancos held most of the possession, effectively keeping Atletico away from the ball and looking for counter opportunities. However, those chances ended up quite futile, with Los Rojiblancos finally getting their first shot on target late in the second half.
Without further ado, let's take a look at three players who impressed, and two who played poorly.
#5 Hit - Saul Niguez
The 24-year-old midfielder did a good job holding down the midfield for Los Rojiblancos, even though Real saw most of the possession.
Niguez played a more defensive role than Thomas Partey, making three tackles, three interceptions, and five clearances. He also committed four fouls, the joint-highest by a single player on the pitch today.
While he did not do much in attack, Niguez managed a shot at goal, kept up a passing accuracy of 88%, and won four aerial duels.
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#4 Flop - Federico Valverde
The 21-year-old youngster did not have a good game for Los Blancos this time out. He made only 35 passes, the fewest in the entire midfield, and the third-lowest for Real Madrid after Benzema (a lone striker) and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
In defence, he made only a single tackle, unable to make an interception or a clearance. While he had a shot at goal, it wasn't on target, and he managed only one key pass throughout the game.
It wasn't shocking that he was substituted for Luka Modric in the 67th minute.
#3 Hit - Jose Gimenez
The young defender, along with his colleague Stefan Savic, was a rock in Atletico's defence that saved the team time and time again.
Gimenez made three tackles, two interceptions, and four clearances. Apart from that, he made two dribbles and drew two fouls for his team. He also kept 84% of his passes on target, making five long passes with three accurate.
Jose Gimenez has been consistent for Los Rojiblancos so far this season, and his performance in this game will keep him well within Simeone's roster.
#2 Flop - Joao Felix
The teenager did not have one of his better days in front of goal during this game. Joao Felix had two shots but failed to put them on target. Apart from this, he had the fewest touches on the ball among all the starting players for both teams.
In attack, he failed to really do anything tangible, unable to create for other players or fashion chances for himself. In defence, he literally did nothing, perhaps playing as an outlet for counter-attacks, but his lacking creativity did not benefit him.
Simeone may be looking to shift Felix's position to a more familiar right wing where the youngster may have a better impact, especially against stronger clubs.
#1 Hit - Stefan Savic
The 28-year-old centre half is in his prime. He had, arguably, the best chance for Atletico to get in front, but it was not to be. However, his defensive efforts cannot go unnoticed.
Helping his team in the air, Savic won four aerial duels. Along with this, he made one tackle, two interceptions, and six clearances. He also managed to block a shot, keeping his team afloat in the process.
Stefan Savic had a strong and composed game, and this will make it more difficult for Mario Hermoso to find a spot in the starting lineup any time soon.
