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Three talking points ahead of Villarreal vs Real Madrid | La Liga MD21
When Real Madrid and Villarreal faced off earlier this season, the game turned out to be a controversial one where the Yellow Submarines were handed a red card late in the game, which helped Los Blancos deliver the final blow soon after.
The game was far closer than the 3-1 scoreline suggests, and Los Blancos must be prepared for an equally, if not more gruelling challenge, on Saturday night as they face the same opposition at Villarreal.
Real Madrid have won one of their last eight games and two of their last ten games at the Estadio de la Ceramica, and it has clearly been one of their most difficult venues to conquer over the years.
As they prepare for tomorrow’s clash, Alvaro Arbeloa’s men will look to put the history behind them and continue winning at the venue after breaking the curse last season.
Madrid Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Villarreal vs Real Madrid.
A clash between two leaders
Barcelona’s slip-up against Real Sociedad last weekend cut the league title race tighter and handed Real Madrid some much-needed ground to make up for.
Heading into matchday 21, Los Blancos are firmly in second place, just one point off the leaders Barcelona who have 49 points. They are, however, followed not too far off by Villarreal.
The Yellow Submarines have enjoyed a strong season so far, and notably even have a game in hand. Should they win that clash, they will move up to 44 points and will just be four points behind Real Madrid.
Tomorrow’s game away against Villarreal, thus, is a massive one in terms of the league title race as it sees two of the top three teams in the standings face off. A lot will be at stake.
A win over Villarreal will not only help Real Madrid put the pressure on Barcelona as the temporary leaders but also serve as a massive confidence boost for the dressing room.
A defeat at the Estadio de la Ceramica, however, will see Villarreal move to 44 points with a game in hand, and potentially just one point away from Real Madrid, including their game in hand.
A thin defence
The centre-back position has been one that has tormented Real Madrid for several seasons now, and beyond a point, it simply looks jinxed. After all, facing so many setbacks in the same department season after season is unbelievable.
Over the past few months, Real Madrid have again fallen into a centre-back crisis that they have been struggling to deal with. Eder Militao suffered a serious muscular setback while Antonio Rudiger has also been unavailable in recent weeks.
Adding Dean Huijsen and David Alaba’s uncertain fitness to the aforementioned problems has only compounded the manager’s crisis.
Heading into tomorrow’s clash, the defence once again appears thin. Raul Asencio and Dean Huijsen are indeed in the squad, but the latter has not played regularly in recent games despite being on the squad, raising questions about his fitness.
The only other option available is David Alaba, who himself has struggled to remain fit this season. Aurelien Tchouameni, the manager’s backup centre-back option, is suspended tomorrow night.
Arbeloa’s challenge at the Ceramica on Saturday, thus, will not only be to find a working centre-back partnership but also rework the midfield to compensate for Tchouameni’s absence – all with a thin squad.
Can Real Madrid carry the momentum
Real Madrid’s 6-1 win over AS Monaco midweek in the UEFA Champions League was the team’s best performance in a long time, and both the players and the manager deserve credit for the same.
Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr were both at their best on the night, with Jude Bellingham also joining the action. The team also did well in defence and thus completed one of the best all-round performances of the season.
Having secured momentum on their side during the UCL game, Real Madrid are now on a rare high this season. The big question, however, is whether they can keep up the steam.
Taking on Villarreal, Real Madrid will need all the momentum they can get to take all three points on the night. More importantly, they need to win at the Ceramica to get into a good flow of momentum, something that is crucial at this stage of the season.
The only objective on Saturday, thus, will be to rack up a third straight win and improve the dressing room’s morale. After all, it could well be a massive game for the title race.
Real Madrid made a mess of their game against Elche last night, and it is clear that the men in white have several flaws with no answers at the moment.
From being 2-0 up, the men in white bottled their lead and threw the game into jeopardy by permitting Elche to score two goals. The result, as many saw it, was set to end in a draw.
With some persistent attacks in the dying minutes, however, Real Madrid managed to build pressure on Elche and eventually scored one more goal at the death to take home the three points.
Needless to say, however, the negatives from the game far outweigh the positive news of the three points.
Madrid Universal brings you three takeaways from Elche 2-3 Real Madrid.
Another second-half collapse
After Real Madrid’s win over Rayo Vallecano at the weekend, Jose Mourinho stressed the fact that Real Madrid actually played only one half and that the fatigue began showing after the break.
On the night, the opposition began to enjoy more dominance and create chances after half-time as they outran and outpressed Los Blancos to good effect.
Last night was no different, and the second half went completely awry.
The men in white entered the half-time break cruising with a 2-0 lead and significant dominance over the proceedings. They had a massive xG, with Elche barely creating any chances of note.
After the break, however, the entire dynamic of the game changed as Real Madrid took a step back and handed the impetus to the hosts. Pressing high and attacking without fear, Elche dominated Real Madrid for most of the second half and had a staggering 60% of possession.
They scored twice – in the 71st and 83rd minutes – and equalised Real Madrid on the night. Given the visitors’ shambolic display, it was deserved for Elche.
At this point, the constant second-half collapses and fatigue struggles of the team after just 45 minutes of action must worry Jose Mourinho immensely. Heading into a derby away from home, Real Madrid have to do much better.
The away curse continues
While Real Madrid’s form at home has been imperious this season, their form away from home has been equally shocking.
They began their season with a last-minute win over Espanyol, and their second league game of the season on the road came against Real Betis and ended in defeat.
Heading into their third away game last night, there was an element of worry about how they would perform, and the trend continued once more.
Real Madrid did well to take the lead on the night, but they made the second half a massive war and far more difficult than it should have been.
At this point, serious questions have to be raised about Real Madrid’s form on the road and their inability to keep games under control when playing in away stadiums.
Heading forward in the season, Los Blancos have some massive away games coming up against far more difficult opposition. The Madrid derby is up next, and the team’s form is nothing promising heading into that fixture.
Carlos Espi saves the day… again!
Real Madrid are currently on 15 points after six games in the league, but Carlos Espi has directly contributed to a massive chunk of that.
If not for the new Spanish striker’s ability to come up clutch in big moments, Real Madrid could well have been on just 11 points at this stage in the season, and the four points he has added are absolutely crucial.
Against Espanyol, it was Espi who scored a stoppage-time winner to hand Real Madrid all three points after a complicated match. Last night, he repeated the same heroics once more.
With the team staring at a draw, the new signing was at the right place at the right time to bury Kylian Mbappe’s assist in stoppage time, handing Real Madrid all three points at the death.
He may not have played a large part on the night, but his cameo was again powerful and it is clear that he elevates the team’s attack and provides new solutions in front of goal. Espi has already proven his talent, and his ability to perform under pressure is what makes him special.
