Player Ratings: Real Madrid 0 - Real Betis 2; 2019 La Liga

The season started with a loss to Atletico Madrid in the European Super Cup and it ends in a loss after Real Betis came away with a 2-0 victory at the Bernabeu. Zidane put together an XI that on paper, was exciting, but on the field was a different entity all together. Vinicius JR and Keylor Navas were the lone bright spots in another dull and lifeless match from Los Blanco’s. Full player ratings below:

Keylor Navas—8.5: The Tico was not phased in what is expected to be his farewell match. Produced a couple of world-class saves and was characteristically quick and aggressive off his line. Can take no fault in the goals.

Dani Carvajal—5: The effort is always there with the Spanish fullback, but the quality performance does not always match his energy output. Had some heavy touches and really struggled against a 3-5-2 with Junior Firpo running riot down Madrid’s right wing.

Raphael Varane—5.5: Had some good moments where he showed his pace against Jese, some good tackles, and brought a good intensity to the match. Though, should have done better on Betis second goal as he allowed Jesé to drift free in the box.

Nacho—4.5: Like so many others, it’s been a torrid season for Nacho. Looks a shadow of his former self. Misplaced easy passes and was late into challenges. Struggled defensively with tracking Loren.

Marcelo—5: Had a few good attacking moments which were reminiscent of his best form, but they were rare rather than consistent. Looks so heavy legged and labored when trying to come back and cover the space he leaves behind when attacking. It was far from a good performance. Marcelo has a lot of work to do in the off-season to try and reproduce his best form consistently.

Marcos Llorente—5: Argued quite often with referee, Udiano Mallenco, as he has a number of debatable fouls called against him early on and eventually earned a yellow card for persistent fouling. Looked comfortable in possession and very good in tight spaces, but failed to really make an impression.

Fede Valverde—4: Very quiet performance from the Uruguayan. Betis easily played around Madrid’s press and Los Blanco’s struggled to win possession back, meaning Fede had limited touches on the ball.

Luka Modric—4.5: Much like Dank Carvajal, Luka Modric always gives the effort, but today the quality wasn’t there. He ran his socks off, but contributed very little both offensively and defensively. Guardado easily won the battle between the two skilled veterans.

Brahim Diaz—5: Probably Brahim’s quietist performance of his recent showings. Was always willing to take his man on 1v1, as we have become accustomed to, but didn’t always pull it off or produce any end product. Was substituted early in the second for Marco Asensio.

Karim Benzema—5: Hit the post on an opportunity where he probably should have scored. Little else to note in his match, another quiet performance.

Vinicius JR—7.5: The one player really able to pull things off— the Brazilian had 6 completed dribbles. His finishing still needs a lot of work, but his speed and ingenuity are always a joy to behold.

Substitutions:

Marco Asensio—4: Close to 1,500 minutes played in La Liga this year and only 1 goal to his name. He was the first substitute brought on for Brahim Diaz and he brought nothing substation to the match. Marco is still an exceptional talent, but needs to work on the mental side of the game to reach his peak.

Isco—5: Zidane slightly changed the system when Isco came on, pushing Modric deeper and allowing Isco to operate slightly higher in an attacking midfield role. He had a limited number of touches (19) and failed to make any real impact on the game.

Lucas Vazquez—3.5: Substituted on in the 75th minute for Benzema and brought nothing to the game. Only had 9 touches and 6 passes, none of which mounted a substantial attack.