Real Madrid kept the top spot in La Liga with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Athletic Bilbao at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday.
Zinedine Zidane's team created plenty of chances, but a handful of serious defensive lapses almost cost them the match. Substitute Alvaro Morata scored the winner seven minutes before the final whistle.
Positives
Real Madrid's ball movement was outstanding for long spells of the match. With inspired performances by Toni Kroos, Isco Alarcon and Mateo Kovacic, the ball travelled with pace and found the three forwards in advantageous situations plenty of times.
The team worked hard in attack and conveyed the impression that they needed only a bit of luck to score the winner. And Morata, always ready to save the day.
Negatives
There were many. From the shocking number of almost laughable defensive lapses, to the constant resort to high crosses -- 32! -- in a squad with plenty of resources to score with the ball on the grass. There also was a huge space between the front three and the rest of the team, plus Cristiano Ronaldo turned in a dismal display.
Manager rating out of 10
6 -- Judging by the past few matches, Zidane is determined to play in a 4-2-1-3 formation while Casemiro is out injured. On Sunday evening, that formation generated a huge amount of scoring chances as the team used Isco in a free role. He can choose where to play and feeds the three forwards as often as possible.
However, as entertaining as that is, this demands a huge physical effort from the midfield line, and a clever opponent such as Athletic can exploit space down the sides. It's also hard to understand why Zidane still leaves Morata and Lucas Vazquez on the bench, when other starters look in quite poor shape.
Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)
GK Keylor Navas, 8 -- Helpless in Athletic's goal, two great saves to Inaki Williams kept Real Madrid alive in crucial moments of the match.
DF Daniel Carvajal, 8 -- The king of intensity, he does not relax for a single play. Took care of his flank with impressive determination, in both offense and defence.
DF Pepe, 5 -- He's in shape, and one can tell because he anticipates every move by opposing forwards. However, the Portuguese defender was at times careless with his passing, and one instance in which he was too soft going for the ball almost allowed Williams to score.
DF Raphael Varane, 4 -- His speed and a handful of fantastic interventions cannot hide his terrible performance with the ball on his feet, as he presented Athletic's forwards with two glorious chances. Even though his left foot is better than Pepe's, he should not play on the same side as Marcelo if Zidane wants to keep a tight back four.
DF Marcelo, 7 -- Fantastic going forward, careless at the back, this was a quintessential Marcelo match. His first 25 minutes were exceptional, and then allowed Athletic's Inigo Lekue to reach the line without any complication for the visitors' equaliser. His passing repertoire was fantastic.
MF Mateo Kovacic, 8 -- Energetic, confident with the ball and tactically smart, he's becoming an extremely safe option for the demanding midfield line that Zidane has designed.
MF Toni Kroos, 8 -- Took the lead in midfield and looked for the ball in every single possession. His long-range passes are a joy to watch.
MF Isco Alarcon, 8 -- This is possibly the best position for Isco to play, in a free role with three skilled forwards to feed. He went from one side to the other, picking his spots, and lacked only a bit of luck to have generated a few more goals. A through ball to Bale was one of the most aesthetically pleasing plays this scribe has seen at the Bernabeu. Zidane replaced him after 65 minutes and had to hear boos from the crowd, who wanted Isco to stay on the pitch.
FW Gareth Bale, 7 -- His ability to burn full-backs is second to none. However, right until he found Morata for the winner in the 83rd minute, his crossing had been mediocre. His decision-making was a bit off on Sunday evening.
FW Karim Benzema, 5 -- For each good play, the Frenchman made three mistakes. Of course, his goal was key, but when a player rarely tracks back to defend, he needs to make a huge difference up front, especially when there are other players on the bench in spectacular shape.
FW Cristiano Ronaldo, 3 -- One of his worst performances in a Real Madrid shirt. Rarely made a good decision. His glaring miss seconds before the final whistle left the stadium in shock.
Substitutes
FW Lucas Vazquez, 7 -- Replaced Isco after 65 minutes. As usual, energetic and determined.
FW Alvaro Morata, 9 -- Replaced Benzema after 75 minutes. Needed only eight minutes to score the winner on his birthday. A great gift for himself, and more pressure on Zidane to give him a chance to start.