16/01/2021
๐ผ ๐พ๐๐๐ค๐จ ๐ฝ๐๐๐ค๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฃ๐๐จ๐ ๐๐ช๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐ช๐ฅ
I think there's nothing more to say about the match against the Osasuna. It just another typical match where Real Madrid struggled against a low-block defensive team. They couldn't create many chances in the match, and in the end, they drew. The weather and the LaLiga board's mismanagement played a part, but still, those are not excuses. Things became too complicated after this match. Many sports outlets were talking about why the youths, especially รdegaard wasn't getting chances. Things got way too complicated after Joviฤ rejoined Eintracht Frankfurt on loan for six months. Now here's the interesting fact. In the pre-conference before the Spanish Supercup semi-final, Zidane exclusively said that he did not know anything about the loan deal. I know many of you are thinking about why he is not getting any game time under Zidane and criticizing him. I personally think it is impossible to bench Benzema, who is literally the top scorer and assist provider for more than two straight seasons. That being said, he should have gotten few last minutes of several matches. Now, let us come to the main part. Why did not Zidane know about this loan deal? This proves one thing: Zidane does not have control of the transfers or any loan deal. Since his second tenure, he was assured that he would get control of transfer and everything, but he did not get the players he wanted even after winning the league. So, in this Jovic situation, you cannot blame Zidane. I believe he is a great player, and if he can get minutes there, he will develop more and come back stronger. รdegaard's situation is exceptional. I know it is difficult to break into the holy trinity of Kroos, Modric, and Casemiro, but I think he should have gotten some time as Modric is playing consecutive matches. At least, he could come at the second half ahead of Isco, but we did not see him much, and Zidane did not clarify it because of his injury either. Now let's talk about the Spanish Supercup semi-final.
๐๐ฅ๐๐ฃ๐๐จ๐ ๐๐ช๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐ช๐ฅ ๐๐๐ข๐-๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ก: ๐ผ๐ฃ๐ค๐ฉ๐๐๐ง ๐๐ค๐ง๐ง๐ค๐ง
Did you guys remember how we won six consecutive matches at the end of December? Yes, we won those matches, and there was almost the same XI that Zidane was using. The old guards requested Zidane not to change much of the lineup, and it paid off that time, but we all were hoping he would experiment something and give some players a chance in this domestic cup match. Remember how he used five-person midfielders in the last year's Spanish Supercup semi-final against Valencia? I thought he would change something, but he didn't. It was almost the same eleven who had been playing for nine matches in a row. I had a feeling that Raul Garcia would punish us, and unfortunately, he did with his two goals. The first half was difficult for us. Athletic Club was pressing high a few times, and also they did not let our attacking players breathe much in their defensive area. The front three was not much effective in the first half. Asensio couldn't find his rhythm much, and Hazard couldn't take one on one and also, he missed a pretty solid chance. It is normal for a player who came from a long-term injury but still, it was far from the Hazard we saw in Chelsea. Hazard was given the free role too, and sometimes he came in the middle, but it just wasn't his day due to Athletic's high pressing and great positioning. Benzema had to drop back to create momentum because our holy trinity was having a bad day. It was a poor display from Toni Kroos, which doesn't happen at all. He had 87 percent pass completion, which is very low for a player of his caliber. He and Modric looked tired. At the end of the first half, Athletic Club almost scored the third goal, but they did not. Inaki Williams only had to deceive Courtois, but our wall stopped him on one vs. one. Courtois, in the second half, saved us from an embarrassing situation. Varane had a somewhat average game, and he was also responsible for the first goal that we conceded. He did not man-mark, and later we paid the price. Well, Lucas had a terrible game. The two goals were due to his poor body positioning and vision. In the second half, Nacho replaced Varane. He was not looking physically well. In the second half, we were creating a lot of chances. Hazard still was not getting his rhythm, but I would say Asensio was the best player in this match. He was becoming a threat against the opponent and had four shots. Those shots were magnificent, and two of them almost went to the bar. Unfortunately, one hit the post, and another hit the crossbar. The game was looking good for us when Zidane changed Hazard and Modric with Vinicius and Valverde. They were trying to create chances, and in the end, we got a goal thanks to Fede and the assist from Casemiro. Benzema scored a goal, but later, he missed another solid chance to score thanks to offside. This has been bothering me lately to see Benzema cannot position himself well to avoid the offside. It has been quite some time. In the end, he was substituted, and Mariano came in, but it did not matter much. We got six minutes extra, and we could not utilize it. Mendy had a great opportunity at the dying minute, but he should have left it for Kroos. He has been struggling offensively since last season. There was a call for a penalty in the end, but it didn't rule as a penalty after the VAR call. It was a predictable match with a predictable 4-3-3 formation.
๐๐๐ ๐๐ช๐ฉ๐ช๐ง๐ ๐๐จ ๐ช๐ฃ๐๐๐ง๐ฉ๐๐๐ฃ:
There were some afterthoughts of the match and what may happen in the coming weeks.
1. ๐๐ช๐๐๐จ ๐๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ช๐๐ฏ ๐๐จ ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฉ ๐๐ช๐ฉ ๐ฃ๐ค๐ฉ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฉ-๐ฝ๐๐๐ : I know he had some good games as a right-back when both of our first and second choice Right-Backs were out, but in the end, he cannot automatically become a full-back. He is a natural winger. He cannot be our second choice right-back. It should be Odriozola.
2. ๐๐๐ข๐ค๐จ ๐ก๐ค๐ค๐ ๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐๐: Apart from Varane, Ramos looked tired and clumsy. It was visible, and I think he should have played this club game with tiredness. Then again, there was no medical report, so I cannot say much here. However, multiple sources said about it.
3. ๐๐๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ค๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ข ๐ก๐ค๐ค๐ ๐๐ ๐จ๐ก๐ค๐ฌ ๐ค๐ฃ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ก๐: It was a chaotic week for Real Madrid. They straight went to play this semi-final after the match against Osasuna. So, there's a possibility that the team was tired. I mean, it was kind of visible. One good thing I can say is right now that they are getting a good break, which would be helpful for the upcoming matches.
4. ๐๐๐ง๐ฉ๐๐ฃ ๐จ๐๐ค๐ช๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ฃ ๐พ๐ค๐ฅ๐ ๐ฟ๐๐ก ๐๐๐ฎ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ค๐ฉ๐๐๐ง ๐ก๐๐๐๐ช๐ ๐ข๐๐ฉ๐๐๐๐จ: It will be hard for Militao and Odriozola to get time as Carvajal, Ramos, and Varane are in the commanding place, but the Norwegian should get more minutes from now on. Zidane promised him that he would get the time, and I believe he will. He was also seen warmed-down after the match. This tells you how the boy is eager to get time.
5. ๐ผ๐จ๐๐ฃ๐จ๐๐ค ๐จ๐๐ค๐ช๐ก๐ ๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ฉ ๐๐ง๐ค๐ข ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ก๐๐๐ฉ: Asensio is naturally a Left-Back. He shows potential in the matches, and I think he should start from his position, and Hazard should get a free role from the middle.
I don't have much to say now. I try to be optimistic, and I believe Zidane will fix things and give us a great season despite the board issue. You all need to back your manager and the players and be patient.
