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Getafe 0-1 Real Madrid: Player Ratings
Real Madrid scraped past Getafe at Coliseum Alfonso Perez on Saturday night. Both sides missed chances aplenty and the scoreline does not do justice to the open game that unfolded on the night.
Carlo Ancelotti decided to bench Karim Benzema, given the hectic schedule ahead to help him return to 100% fitness. Needless to say, the team struggled in front of the goal without their captain.
Eder Militao’s goal was the difference between the two sides at full time. The win comes as a massive boost for Los Blancos ahead of El Clasico where they will hope to leapfrog past their arch rivals.
Madrid Universal brings you the player ratings from Real Madrid’s win over Getafe.
Andriy Lunin: 8
It was a special night for the Ukrainian international as he recorded his first clean sheet as a Real Madrid player. It was not for Lunin not being tested on the night but a solid display between the sticks that helped the team get just their first clean sheet of the domestic season. He made two saves, including one from inside the box on the night.
Daniel Carvajal: 7
After a relatively poor performance against Shakhtar, Carvajal returned to his best at the Coliseum. He bossed the right flank in attack and provided two key passes. Moreover, he was solid in defence with three clearances, an interception, two tackles and 100% tackles won.
Eder Militao: 9
The Brazilian was the difference maker against Getafe as he headed his team into an early lead just three minutes into the game. Over 83 minutes, he made a whopping 18 defensive actions in what was one of his best performances in a Real Madrid shirt.
Antonio Rudiger: 7
The former Chelsea man has found it difficult to see regular playing time under Carlo Ancelotti. He recieved just his fifth start of the league season last night and did not do much wrong. However, he was occasionally caught out of position, forcing Militao to cover up.
David Alaba: 6.5
The Austrian international started on the left side of the defensive four but was far from his best. While he did a good job of pocketing Damian Suarez and Borja Mayoral, he lost possession 18 times and finished the game with just 82% pass completion.
Luka Modric: 8
Coming back from injury, one would expect the 37-year-old to take some time to bring his body back into match rhythm. Yet, the Croat played like he suffered no setback and led Real Madrid’s midfield from the front. Completed 110 touches of the ball, made two key passes and created one big chance.
Aurelien Tchouameni: 8
In less than three months, Tchouameni has made Real Madrid fans completely forget Casemiro. As he has in all his games so far, the Frenchman held the fortress with resilience on Saturday, completing 11 defensive actions and 100% attempted long balls.
Eduardo Camavinga: 5.5
The French midfielder was touted to be the next big thing in Los Blancos’ midfield, but fans are quickly changing their opinion on Camavinga with every passing day.
As Ancelotti said earlier this season, the youngster is more effective coming off the bench as he lacks basic positioning and understanding of the team’s philosophy. Another sub-par display from Camavinga.
Federico Valverde: 7
Did brilliantly to find Rodrygo for Real Madrid’s second goal that was disallowed. Valverde was a constant nuisance to Getafe’s left-flank and forced Carles Alena and Enes Unal into deeper defensive roles. Took three shots, made three key passes and created one big chance on the night.
Rodrygo: 6.5
The young Brazilian got onto the scoresheet in the second half but had it ruled out for an offside move. Yet, one must appreciate his ability to finish off the half-chance with a cool head.
Rodrygo took five shots on the night but got only one was on target. Nevertheless, he was played out of position and did a decent job at covering for Karim Benzema.
Vinicius Jr: 7.5
Even when he doesnt score or assist, Vinicius is one of Real Madrid’s most influential players on the field. Both with and without the ball, the Brazilian serves as a thorn in the opposition’s feet and that was exactly what he did against Getafe. He attempted ten dribbles on the night, completing six and made three key passes. Furthermore, he was tenacious off the ball, winning 12 duels.
SUBSTITUTES
Nacho Fernandez: NA
Had just six touches, did not contribute much to the game.
Marco Asensio: 6.5
Played only 12 minutes, made one key pass, completed one dribble and came close to scoring.
Mariano Diaz: NA
Does not warrant a rating.
Napoli fought tooth and nail for all three points against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu earlier this week. They took the early lead in the first half, then fought back to find an equaliser after Real Madrid put two past them.
In the end, however, they were outdone by the hosts’ resilience and never-say-die attitude. The result thus registered Real Madrid’s fourth win on the trot and twelfth game without a defeat.
The men in white must now look ahead to their next La Liga game scheduled to kick off in just over 24 hours. Faced against Granada in a critical matchday, the aim will be to take all three points and thus maintain a healthy position in the standings.
Ancelotti announced some key recoveries in his pre-match press conference and also confirmed that Jude Bellingham would be fit to participate on the evening. Yet, he is concurrently in a difficult moment in terms of squad fitness.
Madrid Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Granada vs Real Madrid.
A clash of two poles
While Ancelotti’s Real Madrid sit lavishly on the top of La Liga’s standings, their opponents for Saturday afternoon have quite a contrasting fate. Granada sit on the other end of the league table and find themselves in a desolate situation 14 match days into the season.
Granada are currently 19th in La Liga with just one win in 14 games, and have changed managers, with Alexander Medina replacing Paco Lopez. They have lost a staggering nine games and walked away with one point on four occasions.
Granada have only scored 19 goals all season while conceding on 33 occasions. Comparing the numbers to Real Madrid’s 31 goals scored and nine goals conceded speaks volumes about the form of both teams heading into tomorrow’s clash.
The visitors’ last win in La Liga came back in August, and it is safe to say that a victory vs Real Madrid will do them a world of good. They will be the underdogs at the Bernabeu, but nothing is impossible considering that they drew with Barcelona not so long ago.
Saturday’s clash will thus be interesting, to say the least. With the injury-inflicted league leaders taking on a relegation-threatened side, the script cannot be predicted.
The rising phenomenon
Real Madrid’s injury crisis has not been easy on the manager. Ancelotti has been forced to rework his dynamics time and time again with a new player falling prey to the endless pit in every game.
The Italian is now in a situation where he has only four players left in the middle of the park. Toni Kroos, Federico Valverde, Jude Bellingham, and Dani Ceballos all started Real Madrid’s last game but it was young Nico Paz who stole the headlines.
The youngster has risen to prominence in Los Blancos’ latest injury emergency and his prominence has only increased over the past weeks. In the team’s latest outing against Napoli, he was on the field for close to half an hour and scored a crucial goal in the 84th minute.
With a tight schedule ahead and limited resources at his disposal, Ancelotti must look to rotate his men in midfield. Paz, on that front, is the Italian gaffer’s best choice and must look to make the most of his minutes tomorrow.
The golden chance
The biggest talking point from La Liga so far has been Girona’s stunning run at the beginning of the season. The Catalan side surprised everyone with win after win and stole the headlines by retaining the sole lead in the league until match day 13.
After six straight wins, Athletic Club broke Girona’s streak last weekend with a hard-fought 1-1 draw at Estadi Montilivi. Having dropped two points, they are now level with Real Madrid in the standings with 35 points in 14 games.
It will thus be Ancelotti’s objective to take all three points against Granada and make a strong push towards taking the lead over Girona. After all, the co-leaders face a difficult opponent in Valencia and could well drop points.
Moreover, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are set to face off later this weekend. One, or both of the Spanish giants will drop points on the night, thus giving Real Madrid further impetus to gun for all three points tomorrow.
Considering the team’s good run of form in recent games, the dressing room will be confident about securing the much-needed result.
