Villarreal 0-0 Real Madrid: 5 Talking Points as Los Blancos drop points on the road | La Liga 2021-22

Villarreal held Real Madrid to 0-0 draw at the Estadio de la Ceramica in a La Liga game on Saturday.

Villarreal started strongly, moving into the final third with ease to push Real Madrid onto the back foot. Arnaut Danjuma hit the post in the 18th minute following a cut back from Giovani Lo Celso. The Yellow Submarines continued their relentless attacks, but could not breach Thibaut Courtois' citadel.

Madrid withstood the onslaught, and responded in kind. Gareth Bale, Vinicius Jr, Luka Jovic and Nacho came close to breaking the deadlock, but the game ended goalless.

On that note, here's a look at five talking points from the game:

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#5 Marcelo had a game to forget

Marcelo had a game to forget.

Marcelo did not have the best of games against Villarreal. The Brazilian struggled offensively as well as defensively. He was unable to keep Samuel Chukwueze in check. Marcelo's inability to track back allowed the 22-year-old to run riot.

The Brazilian looked rusty. He attempted some reckless passes, which resulted in Villarreal attacks. Moreover, he gave away the ball cheaply on numerous occasions. One of his clearances drew a save out of Thibaut Courtois. His positioning and sluggishness caused the visitors all sorts of trouble.

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#4 Sevilla inch closer to Real Madrid

Dani Carvajal shields the ball.

Sevilla following their 2-0 win over Elche, Sevilla have reduced the gap between themselves and the league leaders to four points. Los Blancos had extended their lead to six points last week after Julen Lopetegui's men dropped two points following their draw against Osasuna.

Villarreal put in a massive shift against Los Blancos, taking the game to the Spanish giants. Unai Emery's men gave it their all to secure a draw. Although Los Blancos were marginally better, the hosts deserved to take something from the game.

However, with the season inching closer to the finish line, Carlo Ancelotti's men cannot afford to drop points in such fashion.

#3 Real Madrid rue missed chances

Vinicius Jr tussles it out against Juan Foyth.

Despite Villarreal's valiant efforts against Real Madrid, Carlo Ancelotti's men were able to create five big chances in the game. It's a shame they failed to make them count.

Out of the five big chances, Bale had two, while Vinicius Jr, Luka Jovic and Nacho Fernandez had one apiece. Some rusty finishing combined with hard luck and brilliant keeping denied Real Madrid the chance to take away all three points. Karim Benzema's absence also exposed the Whites' shortcomings up front.

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#2 Gareth Bale returns to action

Gareth Bale made a comeback.

Gareth Bale made an appearance for Real Madrid after 167 days. The Welshman made his last Los Blancos appearance against Real Betis on 29 August last year. With Benzema out with an injury, Ancelotti started with Bale as the striker up front.

However, the Welshman was non-existent for most of the first half, but drew a massive save from Rulli at the cusp of half-time. The 32-year-old collected a long pass from Casemiro, tried to clip over, but saw his effort saved.

The Welsh international had another one denied, as his shot clipped the woodwork.

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#1 Ancelotti has one eye on the PSG game

Carlo Ancelotti looks on.

With Real Madrid facing PSG in the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, Ancelotti made some risky decisions. The Italian rested Luka Modric and took off Vinicius Jr and Marco Asensio despite the game being goalless.

Moreover, the gamble to start Bale as a striker alongside Asensio and Vinicius was a big one, despite having a natural striker on the bench in the form of Jovic. It will be interesting to see how Real Madrid tussle it out against PSG in midweek.