Three takeaways from Real Madrid’s 0-0 draw against Atletico Madrid

Real Madrid scored one point on their visit to Atletico’s Wanda Metropolitano after a solid performance. One could argue that Los Blancos deserved to win, but coach Zinedine Zidane was cautious with his approach and ultimately both him and Simeone had reasons to be happy with the draw.

1. Zidane is sacrificing offense for the sake of defensive stability. It’s working. Sure, Real Madrid’s latest wins against Sevilla, Osasuna and this draw at the Wanda were not very entertaining to watch, but ultimately Los Blancos got the job done. Madrid have kept three consecutive clean sheets and more importantly, they’ve not allowed their opponents a single shot on target. As the saying goes, offense wins games and defense wins championships.
2. Still, Real Madrid need more from Hazard and the rest of the offensive system. While the defense has been rock solid lately, Los Blancos will still need more firepower throughout the entire season. It’s still very early in the season and he has only play a handful of games, but Madrid need more from star signing Eden Hazard, who completed an abysmal performance at the Wanda Metropolitano. Bale would also be more effective if he was asked to do more than crossing the ball and Jovic still has to find his scoring punch. Isco will contribute when he comes back from his injury and Rodrygo will also be an interesting threat. Real Madrid have the tools to improve offensively, so this shouldn’t be a major concern.
3. Ultimately, Real Madrid escaped a very tough stretch of the schedule two points ahead of Barcelona. Zidane and his coaching staff can now focus on improving the offense against Brugge, Granada, Mallorca and Galatasaray. Those are four manageable games before El Clasico at the Camp Nou and Los Blancos need to use them to keep gaining confidence and momentum. The loss against PSG was very discouraging but Los Blancos have turned things around and look as solid as they’ve been since Zidane’s return to the club.