He Real Madrid solved the toughest week of the season with three convincing wins against Seville (0-1), Borussia Monchengladbach (2-0) and Atlético de Madrid (2-0) that have marked a turning point in a season that could have been ruined at the first change. For it Zinedine Zidane He made use of the old guard, represented above all by the return of the leader Sergio Ramos and for the great level exhibited by Luka modric and Toni Kroos, commanders of the white ship when the team was at serious risk of shipwreck.
The white team arrived at the game of Pizjuán in the midst of crisis and mired in a sea of doubts. The position of Zinedine Zidane was in serious danger after the debacle before him Shakthar, defeat (2-0) that seriously threatened Madrid's classification to the round of 16 of the Champions. The white box solved the ballot before the Seville with a solvent and solid performance, nullifying the team of Lopetegui from a great defensive exercise commanded by Varane and Nacho. In Seville, so much Modric as Kroos they played the 90 minutes more focused on containment than creation. Proof of this are the 47 passes that the German signed and the 35 deliveries of the Croatian, far from the figures they usually register when Madrid dominates the games. In that game, in addition, Kroos (7) and Modric (8) they recovered more balls than the specialist Casemiro (5).
The brief victory served to rebuild the team's morale in the face of the momentous duel against Gladbach with the elimination in the group stage planning on Valdebebas. There arose above all the figure of a Luka modric imperial. The Croatian midfielder led the white pressure in the opposite field, gave 82 passes (he missed only 5) and was the Madrid player who completed the most dribbles. But beyond the statistics, Modric, 35, stood out for dominating the stage at will thanks to his intelligence to interpret what the game demanded at all times and also based on his technical and physical superiority.
If in Champions was Modric the one who pulled the car, in the derby against him Athletic the one in charge of carrying the baton in the center of the Madrid was Toni Kroos. To the beat dictated by the German, the white team played, far superior to the group of Simeone from the first minute to the last to seal a triumph that reopens The league. The ex of Bayern gave 87 passes against Atlético (the most of Madrid, with 12 long) and was key along with Modric to disable the approach of Simeone, who bet from the beginning for 5-3-2 that did not take long to modify to go to a more recognizable 4-4-2.
The German, a life insurance in the ball plays, attended Casemiro in the 1-0 play to put the victory on track against Atlético. Zinedine Zidane, exulting after the victory, he assured that both Kroos as Modric “They are fucking great.” Both players, Madrid's metronomes, are determined to agree with a Zidane that already has another of its props back in the medullary: Federico Valverde.