After tinkering with the line up against Betis, Zidane is thought to play his strongest line up available. With Barca beating Atleti there will be no room for error from hereon out.

Granada are 2nd from last and have only won one game from their last 6. This will proably be another blow out. But it gives Zidane time to do a mini preseason by playing these bottom teams with the same line up in order for them to get used to each other. We are playing Roma, Malaga and Atleti one after the other so it is important to vave a fixed line up in time for that month

Squad:

Goalies: Navas, Kiko, Ruben
Defenders: Varane, Ramos, Arbeloa, Nacho, Carvajal and Marcelo
Midfielders: Casemiro, Kovacic, Isco, Modric and Kroos
Forwards: Ronaldo, Benzema, Jese, James and Lucas

Pepe and Bale are still recovering while Danilo was cut for technical reasons

No danilo ffs

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CaoWktlW8AE9p-T.jpg

No surprises in the line up. Lets manita them

Why do we always play on sundays ffs can never see due to work

Midfielders aren't having a great game... Isco and James especially. Modric not as supreme as always and Kroos is just OK.

Lack physicality in the middle. Too many finesse players.

The alignment of Isco-Kroos-Modric is off, they are struggling passing the ball out of the defense, and it's mainly alignment off the ball. It can be adjusted, they have to make the pitch smaller...

James is having a shocker, and obviously in a 433, you cant afford to have both you wingers playing badly.

but credit to granada, they have great athletes left and right and it makes them dangerous on counter

Below average first half. Benzema and Ronaldo aren't helping us, neither with pressing nor with defending. James is not dropping back to help get the ball to our strikers and he's not doing much in defense either. There was a silhouette of that Rafa-esque mega space separating our midfielders from our strikers.

Marcelo is being a liability this game. This is the sort of game a more defensively astute back up could have come on for him. Meh. Oh and James is clearly lost, isnt contributing at all either defensively, offensively or in keeping posession. Put Lucas on ffs. The midfield 3 are playing good but they are getting no help and end up getting stretched.

Imagine if we had Danilo this game Carvajal is a bloody beast. Can defend a whole flank on his own. Ronaldo is not contributing too much. Need to do better in the second half

Benzema and Ronaldo really bad so far.

I like the intention in the midfield. We are trying to play one touch football. It's not perfect but it's a start. We are tiring Granada down with the midfield play.

Need much better contribution from wingers and Benzema though, they aren't helping the midfield one bit.


The sooner we sell Ronaldo the better.

Oh and whomever tries to argue that James has a good first touch really need their eyes checked. He has a first touch similar to Khedira only people dont like to admit it

Pretty much hala, this is the type of game where a real winger like Lucas is valuable, but oh well, when i see games like this i dont really see how James can be successful in this scheme.

Compare our passing to Barca's. Our passing is shit. We're averaging a 80% passing when we should be doing higher against the teams we're facing (especially the scores we're getting against them too)

James doesn't really fit... the idea is to spread the pitch and attack wide to open up the inside. Our right side is basically non-existent except when Modric and Carvajal combine.

It's just a bit too static and predictable in the first half.

Same can be said about the left, it's non existant given that CR is no longer playing LW

And Marcelo having a shocker of poor decision, not recognizing the threat of Isaac, wtf is he thinking

Benzema seriously?

Freaking ref

Keylor came out for nothing and opened his leg like a cheap whore, varane was following the run. poor decision

The issues aren't gone because the players aren't the right fit together... just going to have to survive this season.  Too many flaws to overcome.

Our chance creation isn't good tonight and we're still soft in the middle defensively.

we dont have a very athletic team, and our pressing + passing isnt good enough to make a team with such athletes run like chicken

Without Bale, we have no vertical speed since Ronaldo is no longer that... we're slow. Defenders don't have to worry behind them and can play up. Makes the midfield more crowded.

Benzema has been horrible with his final ball too.

Modric!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just got to say this, i love Kovacic, that kid has got something... just saying

Mr Nick09 wrote:Just got to say this, i love Kovacic, that kid has got something... just saying

Yep.  Plays simple and moves the ball quickly.  There's beauty in just making the simple play as opposed to trying the hollywood move.

Another Zidane suggestion btw.