It was a debacle without excuses and with few precedents. A historic blush that leaves many crosses and no faces. The leader, in extraordinary black, showed an ordinary version. Ancelotti bet on Modric as a ‘false-false nine’, a failed experiment that he tried to correct at half-time without success. The wound was bleeding in a Real Madrid that will go to the break with tonight’s buzz in the head. With a 0-4 that is already a scar.
Headlines
Courtois: powerless against goals. Without reproaches, but human. He stopped Aubameyang one at 0-0 and from then on, he couldn’t stop the gale. He was the one who showed the most anger of the entire team, reaching the post of importance, with a hard punch, touching the discount.
Carvajal: much surpassed by Ferran. Ancelotti retired him at intermission, sacrificing him in the attempt to inject gunpowder. During the 45 minutes that he played, he did not have any appearances in attack and in defense, he did not appear in any photo. Which is already a lot. He is still far from the best version of him.
Soldier: in a season that touched the registration, this will be his great stain. Bad in the first goal, losing Aubameyang’s mark; weak in the second, allowing Araujo to finish off the area easily in the heart; and weak in the third and fourth. Very unsettled. He lost position several times stretching the pressure to the center of the field, which would have a space behind him that Xavi’s men were constantly looking for. It was the worst of the night in one to forget.
Aubameyang won the position from Militao 0-1.
Denis Doyle (Getty Images)
Praise: bad in all facets. What was most surprising was the lack of coordination between him and Militao, falling in a tandem that until now seemed indestructible. Aubameyang attacked the space between the two a lot and in the indecision of who came out, he found a lot of oil. He finished the game as a left back and in his eagerness to cover up the massacre, he allowed many counterattacks.
Nacho: correct match, within what was the lousy defensive level. That is to say, of the little salvageable. The Bernabéu, amid the drama of the scoreboard, gave him a timid farewell in the form of applause, acknowledging his work despite the fact that in the first goal, for example, Dembélé escaped him before serving the center. He was very self-critical after the match: “Maybe we relaxed because of the advantage… The result says it all.”
Casemiro: He started as a pivot, went through an improvised playmaker (with the aim of being the shadow of Busquets, without success) and ended up as a central defender, along with Militao. Barcelona played with great calm, dominated the center of the field and in that, they must assume some responsibility. It was not the usual wall.
Valverde: His pride was once again non-negotiable and the Bernabéu knew how to thank him, but he did not have his night with the ball. He went to the beat of his teammates in the middle, suspended by completely losing control of the engine room. Of the negative notes, of the least.
Kross: Along with Carvajal, the other sacrificed in the attempt to revolutionize rest. Barcelona went into the interval with 63% possession and he, impotent, had more work chasing shadows in the pressure than building. He suffered a tough tackle from Aubameyang at 0-0 which, for some, should have changed the course of the match. Since his injury on the eve of PSG he has not found the best version of himself.
Modric: It was the surprise of the eleven, chosen by Ancelotti to play in a kind of ‘false nine’ that, in practice, was far from that ballot. He tried, but ended up being more of a midfielder in a team with -appearances- of ten players than he should be. It was a reference above that demanded some reference. A failed experiment. In the second half, with the entry of Mariano, he delayed his position and made up his game.
Modric was Ancelotti’s experiment in a strange ‘false nine’.
Javier Gandul (Daily AS)
Rodrigo: He had more participation than Vinicius, more energy, but no success. In the first quarter of an hour he caught two and, without thinking, tried. But from then on he faded and ended up leaving at game time with a bland taste. He extends his goal drought (he has only two in 36 games).
Vincius: It was the night to hit the table. To lead. To show that when Benzema steps to the side, he can take it forward. And he didn’t. His clearest chance was a one-on-one against Ter Stegen that ended in a swimming pool. Control was long gone and, although the exercise of looking for the goalkeeper’s contact was good, it went wrong for him. No other chance. No fright. none oops. Nothing. He was to claim himself as Galactic and showed a human image.
Substitutes
Lucas Vazquez: Given the bleeding that the team was suffering with the change of scheme, he entered to recover the defense of four. And he complied. No shine or stains. Closing the band and preventing the ‘little hand’ from falling.
Camavinga: entered to recover the center of the field and did not obtain it. He stood in line with the entire team. But, in his defense, it should be noted that he came in with the game unstitched and in minutes, seeing it broken, the patch was already impossible.
Asensio: Ancelotti introduced him to a man-for-man exercise that changed nothing. The cannon that he treasures in his left hand sank again between so much timidity; nothing, not a shot, even if it was to wake up a bitter goal of honor.
Mariano: He definitely showed that in the abyss that separates him from the title, at least he is ahead of Jovic. No options or opportunities. He paid for the lack of rhythm and football in his team.
