Villarreal cools down the euphoria

The wave of optimism on which Madrid was surfing was abruptly interrupted by the visit of Villarreal, who is not champion of the Europa League by the grace of God. He deactivated Madrid as nobody had done so far; He dwarfed Vinicius, Asensio, Rodrygo, Modric and whoever he approached. And the triumph was by inches. Madrid left the game wanting to celebrate that he came out alive.

Ancelotti brings an obligation (to win everything, unavoidable at home), but also a mission, unfulfilled by Zidane: take to the mountains with the young people the club has signed here and there before they became prohibitive. That explains the substitutions of Lucas Vázquez, to whom the Italian does not find grace as a lateral that his predecessor does appreciate, and of Hazard, who has been through all the seasons: absence, impatience, insistence and, now, intermittence. So in order to fit Casemiro, who is out of point, and Modric without splashing Valverde, Asensio, Rodrygo and Vinicius, Ancelotti again ordered the team in a 4-2-3-1, fall fashion. But Valverde had a ball playing as a winger against a gazelle like Danjuma.

Courtois stops

At Villarreal, the search for balance took Trigueros, the team’s top scorer, ahead. It was to put muscle in the center (Coquelin) without giving up the bands (Yéremy Pino and Danjuma), one of his great assets. Emery’s first plan was to throw the defensive line high up, shrink Madrid’s fertile ground and protect himself away from Rulli even at the risk of swallowing a Vinicius or Rodrygo sprint in space shipments.

But the first sprint was from Danjuma, another from the union, who evaporated Valverde and Asensio and took Courtois to stop the match. A quarter of an hour later he had to repeat against Alcácer, who did not hit the last stretch of a lace play by Yéremy Pino. Villarreal is a team that has a fondness for the ball and that deactivated Madrid’s propensity to attack in bulk in the new era. It was for the white team a return to last year, to content football, without news in the outside area, and with the added problem that a rival with a good foot was elegantly overcoming his first pressure.

The Villarreal, which increasingly sells less and buys more, He gave himself an air of greatness at the Bernabéu, he kept the ball (63% in the first half), he cut Madrid’s caramelized relationship with his audience and commanded in his own way, or that of Capoue and Parejo, that it is not exactly an unchained melody. But the three best occasions were his. Madrid was satisfied before the break with a disorderly arreón and with claiming a penalty for obstruction from Albiol to Nacho that seemed clear. It is not the year of Gil Manzano.

Camavinga was not a solution

As that was not working, Ancelotti returned to 4-3-3, with Camavinga for Rodrygo and Asensio moving to the right wing. Another drawing, another attitude, another game, this one from the action genre. And also favorable to Villarreal, who responded to an aimless header from Militao with two clamorous opportunities, from Danjouma and Pau Torres, both concocted by Foyth, a winger who became the first sword. Five somersaults later, Madrid fell back on their feet.

Then everything went back to the beginning, at that anesthetic rhythm that always suited Villarreal, remodeled into a 4-4-2 with the changes. CAmavinga could not this time give Madrid another air. His enormous physical display was not matched by precision. Too many losses in a team that recovered late and badly.

With everything, Madrid was justified with a final acceleration, summarized in a header from Isco, to the center of Hazard, the last reinforcements, which Rulli rejected. Villarreal had already run out of legs and almost without desire. His moment had passed. The Madrid one did not exist all night.