{"id":1177263,"date":"2020-11-21T17:45:05","date_gmt":"2020-11-21T17:45:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?p=1177263"},"modified":"2020-11-21T17:55:27","modified_gmt":"2020-11-21T17:55:27","slug":"villarreal-1-1-real-madrid-match-analysis-zidane-emery-chukwueze","status":"publish","type":"features","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/villarreal-1-1-real-madrid-match-analysis-zidane-emery-chukwueze\/","title":{"rendered":"Villarreal 1-1 Real Madrid: A “fundamentally tired and unimaginative” Los Blancos are held at the Ceramica"},"content":{"rendered":"

In a dry afternoon of football, Villarreal and Real Madrid played out a tight 1-1 draw.<\/strong><\/p>\n

There was little in the way of goalmouth action as Los Blancos took a very early lead but were pegged back by a Villarreal side that exposed their two potentially season-wrecking flaws.<\/p>\n

\"Black<\/a>

Black Lives Matter:<\/span> Read more about the cause footballers are taking the knee for<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Real Madrid had tried to ride that early lead to a 1-0 win, much in the same way they did repeatedly at the back-end of 2019\/20 when they ground their way to winning La Liga.<\/p>\n

In many ways, the approach made sense. Zinedine Zidane’s side have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last 8 games and last time out they got slapped for four goals against Valencia.<\/p>\n

But that was a Real Madrid side that was, for the most part, at full strength. Key players, Sergio Ramos and Karim Benzema in particular, remained fit throughout. Neither man was involved at the Estadio Ceramica.<\/p>\n

Without those pillars of the side, Madrid lack of the superhuman mental strength needed to play that kind of grinding football. Playing so close to the edge with such a small advantage requires a massive amount of focus and that is where warriors like Ramos excel.<\/p>\n

Yes Madrid conceded just the one goal, but in truth it should have been more. Villarreal cut them open on more than one occasion, especially after Samu Chukwueze and Pervis Estupinan came off the bench to add a real sense of thrust in attack.<\/p>\n

Those two combined to win the penalty that drew Villarreal level. and when Take Kubo came on later he added even more energy and invention and could have won it for Unai Emery’s men in stoppage time.<\/p>\n

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Real Madrid have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last eight games across all competitions.<\/p>\n

The wait goes on… pic.twitter.com\/eipOuQEOK2<\/a><\/p>\n

— Squawka (@Squawka) November 21, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n