Even without most of their starters, there seems to be no stopping this Real Madrid side.
Carlo Ancelotti kept his big hitters out of Friday’s trip to Real Sociedad, wisely prioritising Tuesday’s Champions League semi-final first leg against Bayern Munich, but still walked away with three points after Arda Guler’s first-half strike sealed a win which was anything but glamorous.
Here are Madrid’s best and worst players according to 90min‘s player ratings.
Aurelien Tchouameni – 8/10
In a game which saw Madrid under a lot of pressure throughout, Aurelien Tchouameni stood tall and did everything he could to stifle the space available to Sociedad’s nimble forwards.
His defending was excellent but some of the passes he pulled off were utterly sublime, with Tchouameni building his own highlight reel of flicks and tricks from the first minute until the last.
Honourable mention
Arda Guler – 7/10
This was the opportunity Arda Guler has been crying out for, and he made sure it did not pass him by.
Not only did Guler open the scoring with a smart strike, but he played with some serious confidence as he tried to add to his tally, weaving his way around defenders and firing in shots whenever possible.
He did, however, spoil his outing with a loss of discipline that saw him withdrawn shortly after the hour mark as Ancelotti feared he was going to get himself sent off, but this was still a positive showing from the teenager.
Dani Ceballos – 3/10
Real Madrid played with almost no control whatsoever, and while that was down to poor showings from a handful of players, it felt like Dani Ceballos was nearly a complete passenger throughout.
Playing in this unconventional inverted winger role that Federico Valverde has perfected, Ceballos looked awkward and never figured out how to link up with those around him.
Dishonourable mention
Joselu – 4/10
In a game which was largely played in Madrid’s own half, it should come as no surprise to hear Joselu found it hard to get involved.
The towering striker did his best to lead the line and his effort cannot be faulted, but games like this are always going to go badly for him.
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