Atletico Madrid 1-3 Real Madrid: 3 takeaways | LaLiga 2018-19

#3 Real’s midfield looked stronger with Casemiro’s inclusion and Modric’s attacks

Casemiro

Casemiro did not play in the Copa del Rey semifinal against Barcelona last week, and his inclusion in the starting eleven yesterday added muscle to the Real midfield. He also scored with a stunning volley in the first half and kept Griezmann on check throughout the match.

Real always tend to perform better whenever Luka Modric is given the freedom to attack, and yesterday was no exception. Casemiro’s presence in the middle third allowed Modric to attack frequently, and he went near the Atletico penalty box on quite a few occasions. He also moved to the right flank at times and delivered some incisive crosses to the box.

Real dominated the match with 66 per cent ball possession, as Toni Kroos pulled strings from the midfield with his astute passing. Ramos and Varane held firm in the defence and did not allow Atletico to make a comeback in the second half.