Real Madrid vs. Valencia: Winners and Losers from La Liga
Real Madrid and Valencia fought out a hugely entertaining 2-2 draw in La Liga on Saturday, with the home side having to come from two goals down to take a point—which still wasn't enough in the title race.
Paco Alcacer and Javi Fuego put Los Che two goals clear early on, before Diego Alves saved Cristiano Ronaldo's penalty right on half time. Real fought back with goals from Pepe and Isco in the second half, but they remain four points behind Barcelona in the table with two games to play. Valencia, meanwhile, are four points clear of Sevilla, who have a game in hand.
Here are all our biggest winners and losers from the match.
Winner: Nuno's Willingness to Play the Normal Game
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Sitting in fourth and hoping to seal a Champions League spot, it would have been easy for Nuno to consider sending his team out on the Santiago Bernabeu pitch with defending in mind to frustrate Real Madrid and try to take a point to keep their distance above Sevilla.
Instead, it was a positive outlook from Valencia from kick-off, looking to establish their usual patterns of play in attack to get the wide men involved and have numbers breaking from deep in midfield.
Had they gone for the draw, with Real having such strength in attack, it is probable they would have suffered the same fate as many: a forgettable and regrettable defeat. Instead, the point gained after a performance in which they tried to win keeps them ahead of Sevilla, even if they win their game in hand, away to Celta Vigo on Sunday.
This is by no means a certain three points for the Andalucians.
Loser: Carlo Ancelotti and Real Madrid's Trophy Bid
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Carlo Ancelotti won La Decima last year and was rightly lauded for it, but a year on he looks very close to finishing the season empty-handed—never good enough for Real Madrid, whatever the reasons.
Trailing in the Champions League and now four points off Barcelona with only two games to play (assuming the league suspension does not go ahead and the final two match weeks are seen out), it will take a miracle for domestic honours to come Real's way. And, if not quite that much of a turnaround, it will certainly take a marked improvement on this 90 minutes if they are to continue the defence of their European title.
Ancelotti's squad rotation in the full-back areas didn't work out as planned, and he had nothing additional to change in the second half after using all three subs by half-time—two tactical, one enforced for Toni Kroos' injury.
Winner: Diego Alves
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La Liga's best goalkeeper this season, Diego Alves, showed exactly why he has been so important for Valencia with a string of top-class saves at the Bernabeu.
The Brazilian saved a strike from Gareth Bale with a top-corner tip-over in the first half and then produced yet another penalty save right before half-time to deny Cristiano Ronaldo. Javier Hernandez, Sergio Ramos and Ronaldo were all further denied after the break.
After a couple of recent games in which Alves was at fault for clear errors, this was a return to his brilliant best, despite Pepe beating him with a header and Isco with a long-range strike.
Losers: Pepe and Iker Casillas
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At the other end of the pitch, Real Madrid's centre-backs and goalkeeper had the complete opposite performance to Alves, especially in the first half.
The marking was nonexistent, the organisation sorely lacking, and nobody took responsibility.
Pepe failed to stop a low cross for the opening goal, which Iker Casillas also should have done significantly better to stop after getting a hand to it, and Pepe dropped far too deep on the free-kick for the second goal. Pepe's uneven form at the back continued in the second half, while Sergio Ramos was also culpable for not marking properly, especially once Alvaro Negredo came on.
Winners: Barcelona in a Pivotal Weekend
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Barcelona had it hard at times against Real Sociedad earlier on Saturday, but came out with a two-goal victory and a five-point cushion to Real Madrid, reduced only to four after this 2-2 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu.
With that points buffer in place, Barcelona know there is no huge pressure on them to defeat third-place Atletico Madrid next weekend—again, assuming no league suspension—and they can even afford a defeat...which means they will play without fear, without worry, without inhibition.
And a Barcelona team free to express themselves, in form and flying on the chase for treble success, is an imposing thought indeed. As Real Madrid's title bid all but ends on home soil, Barcelona are definitely the biggest victors as the teams on the pitch take one point each—but Barcelona sit back comfortably looking at the gap of four.
