#2 Defensive issues still remain for Real Madrid
Zinedine Zidane fielded his strongest defence against Villarreal, which will mostly start against Liverpool on May 26. The return of Dani Carvajal was a major sense of relief to the management and the supporters alike.
But Carvajal had a bad day in the office as Villarreal decided to attack him in the first half. He was bypassed far too easily at times and did not provide the needed cover for Raphael Varane. It was the same with Marcelo who was caught out of position on numerous occasions.
For the first goal, Martinez was not closed down by Varane and was given ample time to take his shot. This mistake against the likes of Salah and Mane could prove to be disastrous. For the second, Marcelo was caught napping and played Castillejo onside.
Fullbacks are Real Madrid's strength going forward but are also their biggest weakness at the moment. From recent weeks it can be concluded that Real Madrid's fate against Liverpool will be decided by how Carvajal and Marcelo fare against the mighty Liverpool attack.