In a match that saw Real dominating in possession, and missed calls by the referee, the end result is a draw. With calls not going Real’s way, they were unable to convert the plethora of chances and possession time they were generating. Barcelona is now 10 points ahead of both Atlético and Real.
Player Ratings
Kiko Casilla—6: With all the possession time that Real had, Casilla really had no stops to make. The few great chances Atlético had were the back-end stopping the ball from getting through. Towards the end of the second half, Varane had to bail out Casilla from a chip shot that got over him and almost ended up over the goal line. Needless to say, I think we’re ready for Navas to return in net.
Dani Carvajal—8: After missing nearly 2 months of action, Dani came back like he never missed a match. While he got a yellow card early on, he made some brilliant choices in tackling, notably the one on Ángel Correa. Even though Hakimi played well in Carvajal’s place, it’s great to have Dani returning to right back.
Sergio Ramos—INC: Because Ramos only played the first half, I have to give him an incomplete. His first half was about a 7.5, he fared well before going down to injury. Hopefully, the broken nose doesn’t have Ramos missing significant time if any at all. Regardless, the boot to Ramos’ nose should’ve been a red card, one of many calls the ref outright missed.
Raphael Varane—8.5: An absolute stalwart pretty much all match with a few heroics that kept this Derby at a draw. His amazing save off the chip shot prevented a 1-0 lead for Atlético in the twilight of the match. Was absolutely in the running for Man of the Match.
Marcelo—8: Started off pretty rough on the left side in the early parts of the game. As the match went on, he started getting better and making some really crisp passes. He got caught a few times, but he wasn’t as bad as he was early on. He ended up having a solid performance overall.
Luka Modrić—8: Modric put on a great performance after being questionable to even start in this match. Made some good passes and generated some chances for Real. His effort just wasn’t paid off by goals.
Casemiro—9: Completely deserved Man of the Match. Had some sequences where him going back defensively was absolutely vital to Real not conceding. Brilliant tackles and takeaways were just some of his overall great match.
Toni Kroos—8: Thought Kroos had a pretty solid match as well. Sent a golden opportunity just wide that was delivered by Ronaldo, though an argument could be made he was fouled. Played some good midfield ball and completed a lot of his passes. Really helped drive along the possession along with Modric.
Isco—8: Seeing a lot of negativity towards Isco being a ball-hog, don’t see that at all. Was fantastic in the first half and just has such an elite level of dribbling skills. Tried to get through several times but Atlético was really just packing the midfield and preventing balls from getting through early on. Passes weren’t converted to goals by his teammates. Continuously adding to what has already been a good season for him so far.
Benzema—5: Sorry Benz, when the most notable play you have is getting a ball kicked at your head when you’re on the ground, that says something. Even though that’s clearly a card, that of course doesn’t excuse the rest of his performance. Since coming back from injury, he hasn’t done much and questions should start to form about whether he needs to sit for a few matches and give Mayoral another chance. Definitely the worst player for Real in the Derby and wasn’t noticeable at all.
Ronaldo—7.5: Don’t think Ronaldo was terrible at all, as many are suggesting. Had several good chances that he couldn’t follow though on. The pass to Kroos was great and just sent wide. Even though he was decent, he still has yet to settle back into form. That run against Juanfran, where Juanfran outpaced CR7l, was a bit awkward. The effort was there, but he’s not looking like he usually does just yet. Hopefully, he can get back into full form soon.
Substitution Ratings
Nacho—7: Came on for Ramos as soon as the second half started. Wasn’t really noticeable, which can be a good thing. Varane was the clear standout and Nacho did well enough to not make any conceding mistakes.
Marco Asensio—6.5: Came on for Benzema in the 75th minute—way too late. The way Benz was playing, Asensio could’ve been subbed on way before he actually did, a poor decision by Zidane. The 6.5 isn’t because he played poorly, it’s because he came on way too late to have any significant impact worth writing about.
Manager
Zidane—7: Really think Zidane should’ve used a third substitution to bring on Dani Ceballos. If he was concerned about scoring a goal and leaving Modric and Kroos both in, he could’ve just used him instead of Asensio. Coming off an international hat trick, that has to be a factor in putting Ceballos in the match at least as a sub. In regards to Asensio, came on way too late to be a factor as mentioned before. The substitution mistakes is what costs Zidane in his ratings and it seems like many fans are starting to question his tactics. His severe loyalty to Benzema is becoming a bit problematic and needs to start questioning his stars to get the best out of them. He needs Ronaldo and Benzema to step up on the score sheet and get as many points as they can. Because with Barcelona 10 points clear, many are already handing them the trophy.