Reasons why Real Madrid need to be very careful against Villarreal's attacking system

Yes, Real Madrid have bounced back from a disappointing start to the 2014-2015 season with three consecutive blowout wins against Basel, Deportivo and Elche. Still, Ancelotti and his men will be facing a very solid Villarreal side this Saturday, and el submarino can be a very tough test to check if Real Madrid's return is for real or not.

The fans have every right to worry about how well a Kroos-Modric-James midfield will defend Villarreal's quick transitions and counterattacks. That's why this could be an ideal game for Asier Illarramendi. However, considering how inactive he has been lately, Ancelotti will likely keep him on the bench even after Illarra's brilliant match against Elche. If he doesn't, then Illarramendi will surely add a certain degree of composure to the squad.

As stated above, Villarreal are a very dangerous team in the open field. They know how to recover the ball with Bruno Soriano and Trigueros while Gio Dos Santos --who is questionable for the match-- and Uche's speed will surely hurt Real's defenders down the flanks if los blancos try to dominate the game through the fullbacks. Dani Carvajal's presence in Real Madrid's starting lineup is something that should not be questioned, because his intensity and ability to attack can't be matched to Arbeloa or Nacho's skills. The left-back position could be much more dangerous for Real though, as Coentrao has not trained with the squad this last couple of days and Marcelo was never known for being a good defender in terms of tracking back the opposition's counterattacks.

Apart from Villarreal's threatening transitions, Marcelino's team are also very dangerous on set pieces. They balance their lack of size with a lot of creativity, so Real Madrid's defensive line will need to be very conservative when defending these situations. Furthermore, it will not be easy to create chances against them. Bruno Soriano is one of the greatest defensive midfielders in the Spanish Liga BBVA and Trigueros already dominated Real Madrid a year ago. That game ended 2-2 after Diego López's finest performance as a Real Madrid player in what also was Gareth Bale's debut with los blancos.

If Real Madrid want to get the three points this Saturday, they'll need to stay focused throughout the whole match and play a bit conservatively in order to prevent Villarreal from running in the open field.