· 2 min readIn this Real Madrid vs Villarreal match, I analyse the key tactical moments, individual performances and turning points of the game.
Real Madrid came into this matchday under pressure, five points behind Barcelona and with far too many question marks both on and off the pitch. There’s a lack of chemistry, a lack of good performances, and even Vini Jr, who is getting further and further away from his best, started on the bench. On the other side was a Villarreal team that rarely makes life easy for Madrid. But looking at what both sides produced, there was reason to expect much more.
In the seventh minute, Güler found Carreras in the box, who laid the ball off first time to Mbappé. The Frenchman hit the post, creating the first big chance of the game. Shortly afterwards, he tried again on the counter-attack, but Gulácsi made the save. And that was pretty much the best of Real Madrid for much of the first half. Possession was evenly balanced, Villarreal defended well, and the game lacked the pace and creativity needed to get anyone excited.
Madrid needed more movement, more initiative in one-on-one situations and, above all, more from Bellingham. The Englishman was far too anonymous in a game where he even had fewer touches of the ball than Courtois. We’re talking about one of the players who should be making the difference in a team like this. He can’t go so unnoticed. At half-time, Villarreal hadn’t even managed a shot on target, but that said as much about the visitors’ attacking struggles as it did about the poor quality of the spectacle.
The second half started in much the same way. Vini Jr came on in the 52nd minute, with Valverde dropping back to right-back, but the game still offered very little danger. In the 60th minute, Gueye finally managed to get a shot on target for Villarreal and, less than a minute later, tested Courtois again. It wasn’t exactly a siege, but it was already more than Madrid were offering.
In the 62nd minute, the goal finally came. Valverde played an excellent ball between the centre-backs, Diomande took it on the turn and fired into the back of the net. The goal was initially ruled out for offside, but the replay showed Freeman keeping the forward onside. Diomande’s first goal for Real Madrid, celebrated with tears. A genuine and beautiful moment, even in a game that had been pretty poor up to that point.
Shortly afterwards, Mbappé found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper, took too long trying to beat him and ended up wasting the chance. He can’t afford to miss opportunities like that.
And what happened next was even worse. Bellingham got to the byline and crossed for Vini Jr to tap the ball in, but the goal was ruled out because the Brazilian had pulled Nathan Saliba’s hair. Within seconds, he went from celebrating to being sent off for violent conduct. It was complete stupidity. Vini Jr has the quality to decide games, but he can’t keep hurting his own team with behaviour like this.
With an extra man, Villarreal tried to push Madrid back, but never managed to create any real danger. Real controlled the closing stages and held on to the win without too much trouble.
Post-match
Madrid win, but fail to convince. Diomande had his moment, Valverde made the difference with the goal, and the team held on with ten men. Even so, one win doesn’t erase the problems with their performances, and Vini Jr’s sending-off only adds another headache.
