Real Madrid: Full Report Card for Every Position for January
After a period of unrelenting dominance to conclude 2014, Real Madrid endured a more difficult time in the opening month of 2015.
With a loss to Valencia to begin the new year, Los Blancos' 22-game winning streak was snapped before Atletico Madrid handed their neighbours a second straight defeat in the first leg of their round-of-16 clash in the Copa del Rey.
Since, Carlo Ancelotti's men have recovered to register four consecutive victories in La Liga, but they couldn't avoid a Copa del Rey exit with a 2-2 draw in the second leg against Atletico at the Bernabeu.
But after a laboured stretch throughout January, the European champions recaptured some of their verve against Real Sociedad on Saturday to end the month with a comprehensive 4-1 triumph.
Across the following slides, we grade every Real Madrid player across each position for the month of January.
Goalkeepers
1 of 9
Iker Casillas
Grade: B+
The opening month of 2015 certainly wasn't Real Madrid's finest from a defensive standpoint, but that hiccup in form can't be attributed to Iker Casillas.
For most of the month, he was one of two things: a keeper with little to do for long stretches or a keeper powerless to do anything about opposition goals.
Under his watch, Los Blancos conceded four goals in La Liga (Keylor Navas had the duties in the Copa del Rey), and there was little the veteran keeper could have done to prevent any of them.
When called upon, Casillas was typically composed throughout January and made one outstanding save against Valencia when a deflected shot rebounded off the post and back into the middle of the Real Madrid penalty area.
In February, the club icon will want to continue his strong run, but he will also hope for more protection from his back four than has been seen in recent weeks.
Keylor Navas
Grade: B-
Keylor Navas' frustrating season continued in January as he earned just two appearances in the Copa del Rey meetings with Atletico Madrid.
In both matches he conceded twice, but he will undoubtedly feel he was given little support from the likes of Sergio Ramos, Pepe and Raphael Varane.
In the first leg of the round-of-16 tie at the Vicente Calderon, Navas almost got his hand to Raul Garcia's powerful penalty before watching Jose Gimenez thump a header home for the hosts' second. And when the tie switched to the Santiago Bernabeu, Navas was left woefully exposed by his back four as errors from Pepe and Ramos gifted a pair of goals to Fernando Torres.
Navas, it seems, won't be displacing Casillas as Carlo Ancelotti's first-choice goalkeeper anytime soon. But there was also little he could do to cover the faults of those ahead of him in the clashes with Atletico.
Right-Backs
2 of 9
Daniel Carvajal
Grade: B
It's often said that if a defender goes largely unnoticed, it's because he's done his job adequately. For Daniel Carvajal, that was the essence of his play in January.
As always, the Spaniard was industrious down the right flank when going forward, providing an attacking punch that few right-backs in La Liga can replicate—even if the quality of his delivery into the box wasn't as excellent in January as it normally is.
And defensively, Carvajal was consistently sound, despite some glaring errors from the other members of Real Madrid's back four, with his only difficulties coming against Valencia's Jose Luis Gaya.
In short, it was a solid but unspectacular month for Carvajal.
Alvaro Arbeloa
Grade: B-
Handed a start against Atletico Madrid at the Vicente Calderon, Alvaro Arbeloa put together a disappointing display as the visitors succumbed 2-0 to their crosstown rivals.
Replacing Carvajal, the veteran full-back was unable to provide the same attacking outlet down the right despite the absence of a threatening, left-sided winger to deal with in the Atletico formation. Additionally, Arbeloa was extremely fortunate not to be sent off for an awful studs-up challenge on Gabi.
But the 32-year-old redeemed himself against Espanyol with an excellent attacking display, creating a number of chances with precise crosses before making the assist for Nacho's second-half goal.
Left-Backs
3 of 9
Marcelo
Grade: B
Throughout the whole of January, Marcelo looked like a player badly in need of a rest.
One of Carlo Ancelotti's most used players in 2014-15, the Brazilian put together his first sub-optimal month of the campaign after a superb stretch to close the last calendar year.
Lacking a touch of his characteristic vitality, the left-back was caught out of position on several occasions in the clashes with Valencia, Atletico Madrid and Cordoba and often wasn't able to provide his typically blistering work in attack to compensate.
Indeed, it wasn't until the final match of the month against Real Sociedad when we saw Marcelo recapture his flair going forward, as he played a leading role in the goals for James Rodriguez and Sergio Ramos.
Fabio Coentrao
Grade: N/A
Fabio Coentrao's only start in January came at home against Espanyol—a match in which the Portuguese was controversially sent off.
Sliding in for a ball in dispute, the left-back had a heavy collision on the ground with Jose Canas that left both players looking extremely sore.
But Coentrao was red-carded by the referee, despite having eyes only for the ball—a decision that seemed extremely harsh given that Coentrao's challenge was hardly malicious and Canas' contact on the Real Madrid defender was just as forceful.
With just 71 minutes of playing time in January, Coentrao didn't feature regularly enough to earn a grade.
Centre-Backs
4 of 9
Sergio Ramos
Grade: C
For long stretches this season, Sergio Ramos has been outstanding in his partnership with Pepe in the centre of Carlo Ancelotti's back four.
But in January, the Spaniard endured a shaky month defensively that couldn't be masked by his goals against Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad.
In the loss to Valencia, Ramos was beaten in the air by Nicolas Otamendi whose header proved to be the decisive goal at the Mestalla. Then he gave away a penalty to Raul Garcia in the first clash with Atletico at the Vicente Calderon, before his awful pass at the Bernabeu gifted Fernando Torres his second goal that ultimately killed the tie.
Following those disappointing displays were further underwhelming performances against Getafe and Cordoba. At the Coliseum Alfonso Perez, he was caught motionless as Alex Felip crossed to Alvaro Vazquez who hit the post, while Bebe and Fede Cartabia cruised past the Spain international with ease on several occasions in the tense outing against Cordoba.
Pepe
Grade: B-
Pepe was missing from Real Madrid's lineup for the second half of January after sustaining a rib injury during the second leg of Los Blancos' Copa del Rey meeting with Atletico Madrid at the Bernabeu.
In that game, the Portuguese's defensive error allowed Antoine Griezmann to charge into the Real Madrid box and square the ball to Fernando Torres for Atleti's opening goal.
Prior to that, Pepe completed strong performances against Valencia and Espanyol—the first of which was notable because the veteran was composed throughout in a heated contest—and was extremely unfortunate when a deflection off his boot ended up in the back of the net for Valencia's equaliser at the Mestalla.
Raphael Varane
Grade: B-
Pepe's injury against Atletico Madrid has afforded Raphael Varane an extended run of starts in Ancelotti's XI, but the Frenchman had a rather mixed month in January.
In the clashes with Espanyol, Getafe and Real Sociedad, the talented defender put in strong performances that might give Ancelotti a selection conundrum when Pepe recovers from injury.
However, there were also a number of tense moments for the 21-year-old.
In the first leg against Atletico, Varane's mistake allowed Griezmann to charge toward goal before the Real Madrid man was able to get back and mop up his own mess. In the second leg, he almost gifted an opportunity to Raul Garcia within minutes of coming on and was then saved by the crossbar against Cordoba when his headed back pass to Iker Casillas went horribly wrong.
Nacho
Grade: N/A
Nacho had another very quiet month with Real Madrid in January, making just two substitute appearances in the matches against Espanyol and Getafe.
In the first of those games, the defender was able to push forward and score Los Blancos' third goal after a nice cross from Alvaro Arbeloa. But with just 44 minutes of playing time in January, he didn't feature regularly enough to earn a grade.
Central/Holding Midfielders
5 of 9
Toni Kroos
Grade: B+
Like a number of his team-mates, Toni Kroos looked like a player running close to empty for much of January.
So outstanding in the Xabi Alonso role for the opening half of the season, the German appears to be wearing down under the extreme workload that has been placed upon him.
Against both Valencia and Atletico Madrid, the former Bayern Munich star found himself engulfed in midfield as Real's physical opponents harassed the metronome of Los Blancos' system.
In the following matches against Getafe, Cordoba and Real Sociedad, Kroos was able to operate with more space but still looked like a man in need of a rest.
He's badly missing Luka Modric alongside him.
Luka Modric
Grade: N/A
Still sidelined after suffering a thigh injury in November, Modric could return in February which would be an enormous boost for Carlo Ancelotti's side.
Asier Illarramendi
Grade: C+
It's becoming increasingly difficult to envisage a long-term future for Asier Illarramendi at Real Madrid. Already behind the likes of Kroos, Modric (when fit) and Isco in Los Blancos' midfield, the Spaniard now faces another competitor at his position in the form of Lucas Silva, the Brazilian midfielder who recently signed for the club.
As such, opportunities are continuing to be few and far between for the former Real Sociedad star, with just one start coming his way in January against his old club.
In the opening stages of that rare opportunity, the Basque midfielder looked nervy with his passing and took a little while to settle into the game.
When Modric returns, minutes are going to be even more scarce than they already are.
Sami Khedira
Grade: C
Sami Khedira featured more regularly in January than he has throughout other months of the season and was awarded starts against Atletico Madrid and Cordoba.
But the German continues to look ill-suited to Ancelotti's altered midfield this season and hasn't looked like a natural fit alongside Kroos.
Indeed, his powerful, all-action style is at odds with the way this flowing incarnation of Real Madrid has been crafted to play, and he's likely to find himself on the outer again when Modric returns from injury.
Attacking Midfielders
6 of 9
James Rodriguez
Grade: A-
James Rodriguez did his reputation no harm in January and was easily one of Real Madrid's more influential players across a somewhat difficult month.
Though given little to work with against Valencia and Atletico Madrid—the two outfits that closed the spaces for Real and clogged the midfield—the Colombian was outstanding in the clashes with Espanyol, Getafe and Real Sociedad, tallying two goals and two assists across those three outings.
The first of those assists was a delightful one—his long, curling ball finding a surging Gareth Bale who poked home Los Blancos' second goal at Getafe.
Impressively, Rodriguez was able to maintain his two-way work rate throughout the month, showing a continued appetite to track back, intercept and win the ball back as often as possible.
Isco
Grade: B+
In the early matches of January against Valencia and Atletico Madrid, Isco was often guilty of holding onto the ball for too long. As explained here, Real Madrid's midfield hasn't been functioning optimally without Luka Modric, with the team's passing numbers down on previous levels, despite winning as much—and often more—of the possession.
In short, the ball has been sticking to the feet of players such as Isco rather than being moved at pace through precise passing. Such a problem saw Carlo Ancelotti's men come unstuck in their opening matches in January.
But Isco rebounded from those underwhelming displays to enjoy a strong finish to January, putting in a series of superb performances against Espanyol, Getafe and Real Sociedad that featured some sumptuous passing and delicate touches around the penalty area.
Wingers
7 of 9
Cristiano Ronaldo
Grade: B
Though he still managed four goals, January was undoubtedly the quietest month of the season for Cristiano Ronaldo.
After a frustrating afternoon at the Mestalla Stadium against Valencia, the Ballon d'Or winner largely sat and watched as Atletico Madrid grabbed a 2-0 victory in the first leg of their Copa del Rey clash.
Next came a goalless game at home against Espanyol, while his second-half equaliser wasn't enough to turn around the second leg of the cup tie with Atletico.
A second-half brace against Getafe did get Ronaldo back on track briefly, but an anonymous showing and late red card against Cordoba ended a rather frustrating month for the Portuguese.
Gareth Bale
Grade: B
It wouldn't be unfair to say that January was a month of wild fluctuations for Gareth Bale. By month's end, his tally read: seven games, three goals, three assists and three squandered opportunities.
But it's those mistakes that have been highlighted the most. His month will be remembered for what he didn't do, rather than what he did.
Against Valencia, he drew angry responses from Ronaldo and Karim Benzema when he decided to shoot rather than square a pass to one of his forward counterparts in a tense second half.
A similar situation then unfolded against Espanyol, when his decision to go it alone backfired and incensed Ronaldo once more.
And then against Real Sociedad, Bale got in the way of James Rodriguez and missed a golden chance when the Colombian was perfectly positioned to steer the ball home.
Oddly, those moments seemed to overshadow his brilliant free-kick against Espanyol, his neat finish against Getafe and his match-winning penalty against Cordoba.
Jese
Grade: C
One thought that Ronaldo's absence through suspension might open the door for Jese to make his first start of the season against Real Sociedad, but instead the young Spaniard only made a substitute appearance—his fifth of January.
In all five games, the homegrown forward has played 19 minutes or less and has looked understandably rusty.
He's also struggled to develop a connection with Daniel Carvajal when attacking down the right.
Strikers
8 of 9
Karim Benzema
Grade: B
It would have come as a welcome relief for Karim Benzema when he scored Real Madrid's equaliser against Cordoba in late January after a goalless run that stretched back to the win at Malaga in late November.
In a similar fashion to many of his team-mates, the Frenchman looked tired and out of sorts in the opening weeks of January and struggled to impose himself in games against Valencia, Atletico Madrid and Espanyol.
But Los Blancos' first-choice striker ended the month on a positive note, playing a leading role in the three consecutive league wins over Getafe, Cordoba and Real Sociedad, the last of which saw Benzema score twice in a 4-1 triumph over the Basques.
Javier Hernandez
Grade: N/A
Javier Hernandez must be wondering why he was brought to the Bernabeu after yet another month passed him by.
With only two late substitute appearances in January against Valencia and Real Sociedad, the Mexican totalled just 19 minutes of playing time in January and is likely to consider this as a lost year in his career.
Manager
9 of 9
Carlo Ancelotti
Grade: B
For the first time since his team's early-season wobble, Carlo Ancelotti faced a degree of criticism in January for his reluctance to rotate his squad.
Indeed, AS reported on Sunday that nine of Los Blancos' players have already completed more than 2,000 minutes of playing time this season, heightening the sense that fatigue could prove to be a major obstacle in Real Madrid's hunt for titles in 2015.
Ancelotti, according to the report from AS, initially refuted suggestions that rotations were necessary, saying after the team's Copa del Rey elimination: "I don't detect a lack of attitude in my players nor do they look tired; I don't need to rotate the squad."
But after the win over Real Sociedad, the Italian conceded that maintaining freshness was now a priority.
"It's possible that now we will start rotating the squad; we need the team to remain fresh," the manager said on Saturday.
Most would acknowledge that it's a necessary step.
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