Real Madrid could only collect a 0-0 draw against Atletico de Madrid, but luckily enough for Los Blancos they are still even on points with Barcelona in the table after one of the toughest stretches on Madrid’s schedule. Here are three takeaways from the game.
- Ceballos and Courtois were the biggest winners from this match. The Spanish midfielder completely took over the game and allowed his team to dominate with the ball. That didn’t translate into key scoring chances, but it’s clear that Ceballos is now ready to get more opportunities to play. Meanwhile, Courtois saved two big chances for Atletico. Both players made a statement.
- Real Madrid didn’t need Casemiro for the last 30 minutes of the game. Atletico were not even interested in counterattacking and Los Blancos were going after the game. Lopetegui should’ve realized that Casemiro was just not needed in that kind of game and Benzema should’ve stayed on the pitch. This is something that will happen fairly often and the Spanish coach must learn from it as many teams will settle for a draw that late in the game.
- Mariano deserves more minutes. While I can see why Lopetegui decided to give Vazquez a chance to play on the right wing in order to create more space to his teammates, Real Madrid needed more scoring punch upfront after Bale left the field, that being the reason why Mariano should’ve been given the chance to play at least 20 minutes.