{"id":59205,"date":"2022-08-29T00:01:37","date_gmt":"2022-08-29T00:01:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/karim-benzema-rescues-real-madrid-at-espanyol-as-aurelien-tchouameni-lessens-loss-of-casemiro\/"},"modified":"2022-08-29T00:01:37","modified_gmt":"2022-08-29T00:01:37","slug":"karim-benzema-rescues-real-madrid-at-espanyol-as-aurelien-tchouameni-lessens-loss-of-casemiro","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/karim-benzema-rescues-real-madrid-at-espanyol-as-aurelien-tchouameni-lessens-loss-of-casemiro\/","title":{"rendered":"Karim Benzema rescues Real Madrid at Espanyol as Aurelien Tchouameni lessens loss of Casemiro"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Two goals from Karim Benzema in the 88th and 100th minutes saw Real Madrid eke out a late 3-1 win at Espanyol on Sunday night. Vinicius Junior scored the visitors’ opener, before Joselu leveled the scoring.<\/i><\/p>\n

– Report: Real Madrid-Espanyol | LaLiga table | Upcoming fixtures<\/b><\/p>\n

The victory puts Madrid on top of the LaLiga table, with eternal rivals Barcelona trailing by two points in third place.<\/i><\/p>\n

JUMP TO: Player ratings | Best\/worst performers | Highlights and notable moments | Post-match quotes | Key stats | Upcoming fixtures<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Rapid Reaction<\/h2>\n

1. Tchouameni looking at home<\/b><\/p>\n

This was another game — the second in a row — in which Aurelien Tchouameni has looked a worthy successor to Casemiro in Real Madrid’s midfield. In fact, his assist for the opener – a clever through-ball which set Vinicius away to slot past goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte – was a sign that Tchouameni is actually an upgrade when it comes to attacking contributions.<\/p>\n

They occupy the same position in the team — this was the first time Tchouameni had started alongside both Toni Kroos and Luka Modric — but the youngster is keener and quicker to get forward. Manager Carlo Ancelotti has already recognized as much.<\/p>\n

“He gets into the box,” the Madrid manager said last week. “I won’t tell him to play like Casemiro.”<\/p>\n

Tchouameni’s pass completion was also exceptional here, finishing at 94%.<\/p>\n

– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, more (US)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Like the rest of the team, he found the second half more difficult as Espanyol increased the tempo, but the early signs are good. Casemiro hasn’t been missed yet.<\/p>\n

2. Defensive switch causes uncertainty<\/b><\/p>\n

Ancelotti had been clear that last year’s double-winning central defensive pair, David Alaba and Eder Militao, would remain first choice as this campaign got underway. That left high-profile summer signing Antonio Rudiger having to make do so far with some unexpected cameos at full-back, and a start alongside Nacho in a rotated team on opening day.<\/p>\n

Both Ancelotti and Alaba had said the Austria international would continue to be used in the middle unless in exceptional circumstances, so it was surprise here to see Rudiger alongside Militao, and Alaba moved out to left-back.<\/p>\n

The call looked suspect when Rudiger and Militao were badly caught out for Joselu’s equaliser. A lack of shared game-time was evident as Rudiger stepped up as Militao played Joselu onside, and both failed to react when Joselu’s initial effort came back to him.<\/p>\n

Having three centre-backs of such quality is a luxury, but this is one area of \u200b\u200bthe pitch where consistency of selection is necessary to allow a reliable, error-free partnership to flourish.<\/p>\n