Tuesday 3 March 2015 09:33, UK
Real Madrid dropped more points in the race for the La Liga against Villarreal and Carlo Ancelotti's side's struggles are down to a lack of midfield options, says Sky Sports Spanish football expert Guillem Balague...
After winning 22 games in a row earlier in the season, Real Madrid have found it difficult to keep their mental sharpness as they look to stay at the top of La Liga.
It’s no secret that they relaxed, and it was almost understandable for them to do so because they still see themselves at the top of the table.
But as captain Iker Casillas revealed Real’s lull it’s not a physical thing because they finished strongly in the second-half against Villarreal. This is more of a football thing and it’s down to the lack of midfielders they have available at the moment.
Luka Modric is a huge miss to the side. He brings so much fluidity to the game and takes a lot of responsibility and big decisions, good decisions.
Even though Isco has done really well in terms of consistency and presence, the lack of James Rodriguez as well has been a big miss. New boy Lucas Silva is also still trying to find his feet, while Toni Kroos is playing more now than he has ever done in his career.
Despite scoring his 30th La Liga goal with a second-half penalty, Cristiano Ronaldo also missed plenty of chances but looked to be getting back to his sharp best.
Once he is back to full sharpness, which he is close to being, the whole Real Madrid side feel it and that will be important as we build towards this month’s Clasico.
Real Madrid may have dropped important points in the title race against Villarreal but they had plenty of chances to maintain their lead over Barcelona at the top of La Liga.
Everybody is saying that Villarreal deserved a point. Yes they did because they were without a host not first-team regulars and with the budget and quality they’ve got compared to Real Madrid, they maximised their potential.
However, Real Madrid played well and created a lot of chances and on another day generally those chances are converted and Carlo Ancelotti’s men win.
One thing that Villarreal did cleverly was to make themselves very compact in the middle, making Isco and Kroos play in between the lines.
Real had to put a crosses into the box and that was very intelligent play from Villarreal.
Sky Sports' Spanish football expert answers your questions on Atletico's title chances, Ivan Rakitic's importance to Barca, David Moyes' progress and Valencia's ambitions.
Are Atletico Madrid still in the title race after dropping points at Sevilla? Graham
GUILLEM SAYS: Simeone keeps saying his league is between them, Sevilla, Valencia and Villarreal, so from the point of view it’s a positive point on Sunday. However, it is disappointing to see that without Koke Atletico Madrid cannot keep up the pace of the top teams.
I thought they had a chance to fight until the end, I still think so, but meanwhile Simeone keeps sending the message that a point is very good for Champions League qualification.
It will be a fascinating game next week when Valencia go to the Calderon, because Valencia actually win they will be third in the table. They lost some big players in the summer and it’s coming true at this stage of the season. But I still think that RM and Barca will drop points. It became v clear when I spoke to Koke earlier in the season that CL was a priority for them.
How important is Ivan Rakitic to Luis Enrique’s Barcelona? Simon
GUILLEM SAYS: Barcelona were a little conservative, lazy if you like against Granada. They just waited for the quality of the forwards to break the deadlock, but in fact it was a midfielder, Rakitic, coming from deep to score the first goal.
Rakitic is becoming very important, not just in the style of LE, arriving in the box, but also in defensive duties. Messi is tracking back more than he has done in recent years but there is still work that needs to be done in that area, and Rakitic aids that. More so than Xavi.
How is David Moyes doing at Real Sociedad? (Thomas Hope, @Thomhope1005)
GUILLEM SAYS: I think he realised quickly the team was unbalanced and that he needed new players to give them a lot more pace and a presence up front. However, he couldn’t sign them in the winter so now it’s all about not getting relegated, finishing as high as they can in the table without new players. Moyes can then reassess his options and strengthen in the summer.
Is it a stretch to far for Valencia to finish on top of Atletico in third place? (Sulaiman, @Sulaiman_1296)
GUILLEM SAYS: With the investment that Valencia have made over the summer it should be a target, and it is a target. You have to say well done to Nuno, who I was very impressed with when I went to see him recently. It’s close to being the youngest squad in La Liga, so it’s a good foundation for a very bright future at the Mestalla.
