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da leao： This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
Real Madrid had a great weekend.
They ran out 1-0 winners over Sevilla, a result worth celebrating, but Casemiro will have to be on top of his game if they are to follow that up with another three points against Osasuna.
On the chalkboard
The Galacticos travelled to Andalusia and faced a red-hot Sevilla last weekend in a venue that has been unkind to them over the years.
Indeed, Real hadn’t won at the ground since 2014/15, but Zinedine Zidane’s troops prevailed and grabbed all three points thanks to a 1-0 victory on the night.
The biggest takeaway from the Sevilla game, however, was the clean sheet – the first one they managed to keep in the ongoing 2019/20 La Liga campaign.
Replicating the same result at Santiago Bernabeu against Villarreal, though, will be key as Real look to keep their good form going.
With that in mind, one player who might play a key role in Los Blancos actually achieving that could be the 27-year-old Brazilian star, Casemiro.
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The midfield battle
Casemiro has been a regular presence in Real Madrid’s midfield for years now and as the team’s only natural defensive-midfielder at the moment, a lot of the work just might fall on his shoulders.
Zidane has been no doubt doing his research on Osasuna and Roberto Torres definitely stands out as one of their best performers.
Seeing how the 30-year-old is an attacking midfielder by trade, he is likely to find himself battling with Casemiro for supremacy.
So far, Torres has scored two goals and assisted one in the five La Liga games he has played and has tallied 3.8 shots, two key passes and 1.6 crosses per game. Casemiro can follow that up with three tackles, two interceptions and 1.8 clearances per game.
The Brazilian is also a better passer of the ball, registering 88.7% passing accuracy as opposed to Torres’ average of 72.2%. Casemiro is also not afraid of a tactical foul or two when needed as he has registered two fouls per game so far, and his counterpart has been fouled 1.6 times per game in La Liga.
If these stats are any indication, we might be seeing a fierce battle in the middle of the park and whoever ends up victorious just might propel their team to all three points.
Torres has already caused a lot of trouble for Barcelona – he scored twice against the Catalans on matchday three in Osasuna’s 2-2 draw with the Blaugrana.
Will he be the main protagonist at the Santiago Bernabeu as well?