Embattled Real Madrid head coach Santiago Solari survived a frantic start and red card for Brazil battler Casemiro to eventually prevail 4-1 at Real Valladolid, courtesy of ex-France striker Karim Benzema’s second-half brace.
Exits in the Copa del Rey and Champions League, plus end of slim La Liga title hopes, in the last fortnight had caused rampant speculation about the Argentine’s imminent demise. This only strengthened during a harrowing opening at Estadio Jose Zorrilla in which midfielder Ruben Alcaraz ballooned a penalty kick for relegation strugglers and forward Sergio Guardiola had two goals ruled out by the video assistant referee, prior to Anuar Mohamed’s deserved 29th-minute tap-in.
Madrid could have folded once again, but they were defiant in the face of disaster. France centre-back Raphael Varane swept up from close range to level on 34 minutes, Benzema put Madrid ahead from a penalty-kick shortly after the break and then completed his double with a fine header just before the hour mark.
There was still time for Casemiro to accrue two bookings, but this couldn’t prevent Ballon d’Or holder Luka Modric from scoring a classy late fourth.
Victory secured Madrid’s position in third, while a fifth reversal in their last six games saw Valladolid end the round two places and one point away from the drop zone.
Here are the talking points:
FORTUNE FAVOURS SANTIAGO
Successive El Clasico losses to Barcelona and the ending of a three-season hold on the Champions League, courtesy of dynamic Ajax, on Tuesday would normally represent the nadir for any tactician.
Remarkably, Sunday night’s early running threatened the plumbing of new depths.
From faltering floodlights before kick-off to a shocking start to a contest that seemed to only promise more embarrassment, Solari may have wished to have already been put out of his misery.
Especially when allied to widely reported episodes of ill-discipline in the build-up from maligned Spain playmaker Isco and benched Brazil left-back Marcelo. Plus, an injury list that denied him three wingers in Vinicius Junior, Lucas Vazquez and Gareth Bale, plus several other key men.
But penalty-kick pain and VAR combined to keep Madrid in a contest they should have been out of by 30 minutes. Then home goalkeeper Jordi Masip was weak and Varane pounced.
From there, Madrid’s overbearing quality showed.
Do not discount the character showed by the visitors. In their most-politicised of clubs, each player will know the repercussion of inaction.
Heavy defeat would have, surely, hastened Solari’s departure. Replaced by anyone from Jose Mourinho to Clarence Seedorf, if rampant rumours in the Spanish press are to be believed.
Instead, Los Blancos – maybe freed by three-successive suffocating losses at Santiago Bernabeu – rallied on their travels.
Solari may yet go before his reign hits the five-month mark. This reaction, however, felt like a squad scrapping to earn their leader a stay of execution.
🎙💬 @nachofi1990: "We reacted well...and in the second half we dominated." #RMLiga pic.twitter.com/tcnhESWA9B
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) March 10, 2019
NO CASE FOR THE DEFENCE
Dysfunction defined an alarming first 30 minutes at Valladolid.
In the absence of banned skipper Sergio Ramos and injured right-back Dani Carvajal, the visitors were torn asunder by the division’s lowest scorers and could have been 4-0 down on another night. Madrid – and Solari – should now be paid-up converts to the VAR cause, while Alcaraz’s spot-kick attempt was so bad that it almost ended up in the car park.
Stand-in right-back Odriozola’s display was particularly ghastly. Attacking midfielder Oscar Plano burst past him with worrying ease for the skied spot-kick, while his marking was non-existent at the back post when Guardiola was first denied upon review.
It is now nine matches ago, in all competitions, that Madrid last keep a clean sheet – February 3’s 3-0 humbling of Alaves. In this time, and no matter what the make-up of the backline has been, they’ve conceded a ruinous 15 goals.
For comparison, during the same period La Liga leaders Barcelona have let in six and second-placed Atletico Madrid just four – keeping seven clean sheets.
For all the talk about Cristiano Ronaldo’s summer sale, it is repeat deficiencies at the back that usually conspire to hamper Madrid’s cause.
Rumoured reinforcements, such as Porto and Brazil centre-back Eder Militao, cannot come soon enough.
4⃣ goals and 3⃣ points in Valladolid!
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) March 10, 2019
📸 #RMLiga | #HalaMadrid pic.twitter.com/6FvJEXK7n7
KING KARIM
From the moment record-scorer Ronaldo was sent off to Juventus and no top-line replacement was secured, a renaissance was required from Benzema during a 10th season leading the line at the Bernabeu.
At a heated Valladolid, the 31-year-old wore the captain’s armband and duly delivered to – surely – allow the dead duck in the dug out to live another day.
Benzema’s brace moved him onto 22 goals from 44 appearances in all competitions this season. Only Barcelona’s incomparable Lionel Messi (34) and Sevilla predator Wissam Ben Yedder (26) have superior records in Spain.
It also one more than Ronaldo at Juve (21 in 35) and nine more than any team-mate (Bale has 13 in 34).
For a sign of Benzema’s improvement, he registered only 12 times in 47 run-outs during 2017/18.
There is plenty to criticise about this second-rate Madrid. The Frenchman, however, is not one of them.
3 - Only Lionel Messi (34) and Wissam Ben Yedder (26) have scored more goals than Karin Benzema (22) this season in all competitions (only @LaLigaEN players). Crucial. pic.twitter.com/kKJI4rm6ps
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) March 10, 2019
