12 players out, 3 points in – The Real Madrid way

You give them any challenge and Real Madrid will hit is out of the park. 12 of the squad members are out because of Covid but Real Madrid had no problem beating Athletic Bilbao at San Mames. Credit of course goes to the maestro Karim Benzema for scoring a brilliant brace within the first seven minutes of the match. Oihan Sancet pulled one back for Bilbao in the 10th minute of the match and since then, Real Madrid controlled the game and hardly gave any space for them to attack or score.

Toni Kroos, the more you speak about the player, the less it is. Without his ‘partners in crime’, Luka Modric and Casemiro, the sniper controlled the midfield perfectly and he is the one of the main reasons why Madrid managed to collect all three points last night. He partnered with Eduardo Camavinga and Federico Valverde in the midfield and the trio showed enough to prove that the three can pair up again and do the job for the Los Blancos.

Camavinga joined Madrid in the very last hours of the transfer window. Being a young and talented player, El Jefe could have been a starter in any team but he doesn’t get enough minutes in Madrid because of the great midfield that the team already has. It is because of all these Covid cases, Camavinga got his opportunity and boy did he play! He won 9 duels, created a chance and had 98 touches in the match. The future definitely looks bright for the young midfielder in the great white!

A lot of questions were asked regarding Eden Hazard’s form but the Belgian has been decent in the last couple of games. The upcoming games and the performance in the Champions League will decide his fate at Real Madrid. Specially when the club is a step away from signing Kylian Mbappe.

Thus, Real Madrid managed to win the game and register all three points without the likes of Luka Modric, David Alaba, Casemiro, Asensio, Carvajal, Rodrygo, Bale, Marcelo and Isco, who always features in the team sheet. This proves the strength of the squad and why they are the number one team in La Liga right now. They have 46 points from 19 encounters and are 8 points clear of Sevilla who’s placed second in the table. Atletico Madrid are 17 points behind their city rivals while Barcelona are 18 points behind and are sitting in the 7th position.

Coach Carlo Ancelotti in the post match press conference said, “This is the strength of a team that wants to win all the competitions. The game was well controlled until the end”. Speaking about Hazard, the coach said, “We had doubts about Hazard’s physical condition but he did very well tonight. He’s back”.

Karim Benzema received a standing ovation as San Mames; a ground where it is not easy to beat Bilbao. Thus, getting a standing ovation there is always special. Speaking about that, the coach said, “The standing ovation for Karim was amazing, he deserved it. I really like this stadium”.