Real Madrid 1-0 Real Valladolid: Talking points from Los Blancos' narrow victory | La Liga 2020-21

#3 Valladolid's brilliant tactics

Casemiro & Co had to put in a tough shift to keep a clean sheet tonight against an alert attack from the travelling side.

Valladolid set up tonight to suffocate Real Madrid and break at any given opportunity, and did so with aplomb.

Oscar Plano and Fabian Orellana were a constant threat in the first hour of the game with Kike Perez doing most of the attacking duty after the latter was replaced by him around the 60-minute mark.

The defence was well drilled and the goalkeeper did everything right, but a freak error at the back from Bruno Gonzalez saw Vinicius take advantage and tap the hosts ahead from near the penalty spot.

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#4 Zinedine Zidane's inspired substitutions for Real Madrid

The French maestro has proven time and time again that he is a great manager, but one major criticism of him is that from time to time he leaves it too late in games with his substitutions.

Real Madrid needed a spark to give them the lead, and Zidane introduced just that in Vinicius and Asensio.

However, last night he decided to make a triple switch at the 56-minute mark with Marco Asensio replacing Isco, who looked a bit off after his first start of the season.

Jovic, despite having just as good, if not a better game for Real Madrid than Benzema, was taken off for Vinicius, the eventual match-winner. The third was Alvaro Odriozola coming off for Carvajal after having had a solid performance filling in for the Spanish first-choice RB.

His decisions paid off with all 3 players making positive impacts in their respective parts of the pitch, making wave after wave of attack against the knackered away side, forcing them into several errors, and capitalizing on one when it mattered the most, to take away all 3 points from this tricky fixture.

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#5 Chances for the fringe players

Both teams tonight started with, what cannot be called, their strongest XI. Real Madrid played with Luka Jovic, Alvaro Odriozola and Isco. Marcelo may not be a fringe player, but he did allow Mendy to have a rest as fixtures come in thick and fast for Real Madrid.

Valladolid started with Javi Sanchez and Waldo Rubio, both young and rather un-tested options in defense and the right wing and new signing Shon Weismman up top, who had been plying his trade in the Austrian Bundesliga before joining Valladolid this summer.

Real Madrid v Real Valladolid CF - La Liga Santander

Both managers came into the game trying to rest key players before important games in which they both need to take maximum points. With this being said, neither manager set up a team with a plan to not get the best result from this fixture.

The teams really left it all on the pitch, and while Real Madrid were deserved winners on the night, Valladolid put in one hell of a performance against the champions and were no pushovers like everyone thought they'd be.

It was nice to see players get out there and get a chance to show that they are a real option for their manager to consider in times of need for the team.