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#3 Real Madrid fail to keep a clean sheet again
Real Madrid's last clean sheet was in their previous visit to La Ceramica, where they defeated Levante 2-0. It's been eight games in all competitions since, and Zinedine Zidane's side have conceded in all of them, with 15 goals flying past Thibaut Courtois' net.
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Many have claimed the absence of Dani Carvajal and Alvaro Odriozola at right-back have caused Los Blancos those problems. However, Carvajal was back today and if anything, turned in a good performance.
Thibaut Courtois was perhaps hasty in coming out to deny Samu Chukwueze though. Given his record while facing penalties, there was little doubt about the subsequent result when Moreno stepped up to take the penalty.
Zidane definitely has things to tweak at the back, with Villarreal causing the Madrid defence plenty of problems.
#2 Unai Emery finally outsmarts Zinedine Zidane
Unai Emery had lost to Zinedine Zidane in all three times they had previously met, once with Sevilla and then twice with Paris St-Germain. The Spaniard described the performance in their 4-0 loss to Barcelona earlier this season as an abberation, but for 45 minutes, it did not seem that way.
The Yellow Submarine looked distinctly out of commission in the first half. It was a limp performance where they stood off Madrid in the middle of the park, allowing Toni Kroos, Martin Odegaard and Luka Modric plenty of space and time.
Yet, Emery changed things in the second half. With much more energy in their performance, they forced Madrid into errors. An ace up Emery's sleeve came in the form of Samuel Chukwueze and Pervis Estupinian. The pair caused plenty of problems with their pace and intelligence.
Indeed, one could make the case that Villarreal should have walked away with the win. While they spurned the chance to go top, they are definitely one of the teams in the shout for a title charge.
#1 Los Blancos need their spine against Inter Milan
Karim Benzema, Fede Valverde, Casemiro, Sergio Ramos. The entire spine of the Real Madrid team was missing against Villarreal. So, Zinedine Zidane ought not to face too much criticism for a draw away to one of the best sides in the league. Especially when the stars he can normally count on didn't turn up.
Yet, Zidane may think it's worthwhile to rush his stars back against Inter Milan next week, as a similar performance in Italy could go wrong.
Casemiro's absence was felt. While playing out from the back, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric didn't have any insurance when their high-risk passes were intercepted.
A tactical shift is perhaps what Zidane needs to employ, since the personnel may not be present for Real Madrid.
