Well, put aside the whole clumsiness and massive fail attempts at taking control of the ball in the second half which comes with shitty mentality after Barca start piling on the pressure, it was not an all-terrible game from us.
The backline worked pretty damn well until the massive Pepe fuckup on the corner which caused Barca to get back in the game instantly and then pure panicking when marking became an issue. Altintop had a really good game, would never expect him to do so much better than any of the regular starters while having to deal with Andres, he actually managed to make him look like a fool once or twice too. One of the most solid players for RM on the pitch. Coentrao is an immense improvement over Marcelo, you can't overstate what this guy will be able to do for Madrid's defence and if need be, the offense if he gets enough time. He is still clumsy and struggles with the timings putting players onside, but he'll get there.
As for the midfield - inexistent. There was absolutely zero links between offense and defence with Xabi being outmarked and mostly unable to pass the ball through to a teammate who would carry out the counter. This game it usually was Benzema or Ronaldo who did remotely well initially, but then got shutdown when Barca took control over the midfield as Lass got subbed and Pepe continued his antics.
Ronaldo had probably his best game against Barcelona overall. Great first half with numerous successful tackles, some good linkup passing and the only good try for a goal by RM, except that Benzema header in the post. For the first time it felt like he was a genuine threat for quite some time in the match. And he helped to completely shut down Dani on the right side, which is wonderful. As for Benz, the guy is good in the final third, but when he has to make large distances with the ball at his feet doing the job which he can't really do since he lacks in agility vs fast defensive minded Barca players, he becomes pretty useless. Still had that header which means he is a quality forward, he just needs a bit of help. Same thing for Higuain. Di Maria is needed to get back some real balling in Barcelona's half of the pitch, because pressure would improve too.
Oh, and Mourinho fucked up with the subs, but I can understand what he tried to do. Nevertheless they didn't give us anything.
Well, a week from now, we might see a mirror image of the game, but maybe a bit brighter on RM side if some players will bring a set of balls with them onto the pitch.
