Real Madrid did little to shore up their advantage at the top of the table, drawing against UD Las Palmas at the Estadio de Gran Canaria, on Saturday night. After an unconvincing display leading to a drawn midweek game against Villarreal, the Los Blancos put up another below-par performance against the yellows and dropped two crucial points.
Earlier in the day, Barcelona stepped up the gas, sans Messi, to rout 10-men Sporting Gijon 5-0 to go top of the table. With a game in hand, the initiative was Real’s to seize but they failed to turn up.
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Also read: Sporting Gijon 0-5 Barcelona: Five Talking Points
We take a look at the five key talking points from the game:
#1. Real Madrid’s attack lacked cohesion in all aspects
Zidane made four changes to the side that dropped points against Villarreal on Wednesday. Karim Benzema was on the bench as Alvaro Morata started alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale. Luka Modric, Dani Carvajal and Nacho replaced James Rodriguez, Danilo and the injured Marcelo.
From the first whistle, one thing was amply clear – there was no ‘Real’ spark in the attack. With hardly any link-up play in the first half, Morata was caught upfront in attack minus adequate support from either flank.
Similarly, Ronaldo was operating in an almost isolated way while Bale barely made his presence felt in and around the box. Despite this, Real had some decent chances and capitalized on some sloppy passing by Palmas to take the lead through Marco Asensio.
However, there were telling reminders of the listlessness of the Madrid attack throughout the game - the sheer number of missed opportunities, wayward shots, Kroos’ solo take from outside the box when his teammates were in space being some of the standouts.
Come the final whistle, the score-line did not adequately reflect the Los Blancos frontline’s lack of cohesion as the yellows had problems of their own in defence and midfield and therefore couldn’t make the most of it.
Real Madrid failing to grab the game by the scruff of its neck each time they took a lead allowed Palmas a way back and they gleefully accepted. Someone as astute and intelligent as Zidane will surely not have missed this.
#2. Substitutes light up the game for both managers
The teams went into half-time with the score equally poised at 1-1, but there was no hiding from the fact that Real had allowed Palmas back into the game just 5 minutes after taking the lead.
Zidane decided to shuffle things up when he brought on Benzema for Asensio five minutes after the hour mark had passed. The Frenchman’s introduction saw a marked shift, with Real suddenly jolted to life. The Blancos attacked from all sides with a hitherto unseen urgency and needless to say it paid dividends.
After some slick passing in midfield, Ronaldo shot at the net from a tight angle but Palmas keeper Javi Varas punched away the effort instead of keeping hold of the ball. Benzema gratefully accepted the scuffed effort and made no mistake with the rebound – Real had taken the lead again.
Quique Setien, Zidane’s opposite number, reacted quickly to the Blancos’ lead. Sergio Araujo came on in the 68th minute for the ineffective Momo and began to create problems for Real’s defence almost immediately.
With six minutes to go, Pedro Tana’s ball into the box was headed down superbly by Gomez into Araujo’s path; he rounded off Casilla and managed to score from an almost impossible angle even as Real’s defenders came sliding in to keep the ball from hitting the net.
Both managers had effective options coming on from the bench which had a notable impact on the game.
#3 Madrid’s defence missed key players and it was keenly felt
Going into the game, Real Madrid had some notable absentees – Casemiro and Marcelo are out injured while keeper Keylor Navas is still regaining match fitness after a heel injury sustained in May this year.
Defensively, Madrid were susceptible and their fragility was exposed time and again. Initially, Palmas chose to sit back in two banks of four and attack on the counter while they dug deep in the second half to grind out a draw.
Casemiro’s absence in the middle of park was game-changing, as Kroos was ineffective in breaking down Palmas attacks. Since the Brazilian has been drafted into Zidane’s side, they have won all of the games with his midfield antics key to freeing up the attack. He was certainly missed this time around.
Ramos looked shaky without Marcelo’s assured presence to aid him while Kiko Casilla was at fault for Palmas’s second goal.
First Villarreal and now Palmas have been able to steal points from Los Blancos – it is not simply a coincidence that these have come when Casemiro and Navas have been away. While the Brazilian midfielder is out for a few weeks, there is no timeline on Marcelo’s return as yet.
However, Navas’ return to the fold must be a welcome sight for Zidane and team.
#4 Los Blancos have lots of work to do to keep title aspirations alive
Real Madrid are targeting their first La Liga title in five years, an honour that has eluded them since 2012 with the Catalans dominating the trophy haul in recent times and even the Madridistas’ rivals from across the city managing to win one.
The Los Blancos ended last week on a high with 16 consecutive wins under Zidane, equalling Pep Guardiola’s record at Barcelona. However, they were given a rude wake-up call midweek by another team in yellow – Villarreal. At the Bernabeu on Wednesday, Real drew 1-1 against Fran Escribá’s team courtesy of a poor first half showing and a shaky defence.
There was little evidence on Saturday night to suggest Real had heeded that call and things had changed for the better. They continued from where they had left off on Wednesday; a decent second half failed to make up for the highly unimpressive first half where they didn’t make the best of some gilt-edged chances.
On a day when Barcelona reasserted their threat by making mincemeat of 10-man Sporting Gijon despite missing the injured Lionel Messi in attack, Real didn’t do enough to salvage their position at the top of the table by dropping two more crucial points in the span of four days.
There is no doubt about the Blancos’ title ambitions but to lend it any credence, they have a lot of work to do – across the length and breadth of the pitch.
#5 Las Palmas showed why they belong in the top flight
The Los Amarillos were promoted to the La Liga at the beginning of the 2015/16 season and finished the season strongly in 11th position. Indeed, it is commendable that they went into this match placed seventh in the table after 5 games.
The Palmas’ noteworthy run at home continued as they stayed unbeaten at the Gran Canaria for the third time in as many games, winning the previous two and drawing against the mighty Real.
While it is true that Real failed to capitalize on their chances, Palmas players showed enough verve to stand tall against their Galácticos counterparts and were backed by a vociferous home crowd throughout the game. Their efforts paid off as the yellows came back from behind – not once but twice - to earn a draw, with goals from the impressive Pedro Tanausú ‘Tana’ and substitute Araujo.
After enduring a thrashing away at the hands of Real Sociedad on Wednesday, Palmas and their coach did well to regroup against the Blancos and are now placed fifth with a total of 10 points from 6 games.
The yellows have shown Liga fans that they well and truly belong in the first division of Spanish football and they are here for the long haul.
