The second half of the season 2016/17: Attack (2024)

Attack

Cristiano Ronaldo

Stakes (second half of the season / total): 23 / 46
minutes of action: 2.083 / 4.126
Gates: 24 / 42
Assists:6 / 12
Passes: 480 (21 per 90 minutes) / 1.088 (24 per 90 minutes)
Degrees: 93 (4,0 per 90 minutes) / 201 (4,4 per 90 minutes)
Average grade: 2,43 / 2,73

Was that the most decisive Cristiano Ronaldo, the Real Madrid experienced so far? A look at the bare numbers really leaves no other conclusion: five goals against Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals, three against Atlético in the semi-finals and a brace in the final against Juventus Turin, not to mention the five goals in the last three league matches – the Portuguese was unstoppable at the end of the season. After never really reaching the season finale in good form in recent years, the number 7 drew the right conclusions and – superbly moderated and measured by Zidane – even sat out supposedly "small" matches. And the results speak for themselves: It has been a long time since we have seen such a lively and mentally fit Ronaldo, and with his goals in the Champions League matches the 32-year-old finally freed himself of the last stigma that clung to him: namely, that of not being decisive in important matches. But in the second half of the season, the reigning (and future?) world footballer not only shone with his goals, but also showed pleasingly consistent performances without any major outliers, in which he also knew how to convince with his playing.

CONCLUSION:Sometimes less is more. After the Portuguese was still struggling with the aftermath of his injury at the European Championships at the start of the season, the second half of the year was simply fabulous - especially because Ronaldo also took his breaks. Real's best goalscorer in history not only shone as one, but also put himself at the service of the team often enough and contributed to the team's success through his high level of running and as a combination player. The most astonishing thing, however, is and remains Ronaldo's ability to adapt his game to new circumstances again and again. This season we mainly saw a number 7 who was even more oriented towards the center and looked for the direct route to the goal - without detours or unnecessary dribbling. It was once again crowned with success.Overall grade: 2,73

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Karim Benzema

Stakes (second half of the season / total): 23 / 48
minutes of action: 1.637 / 3.237
Gates:7 / 19
Assists: 4/9
Passes: 489 (27 per 90 minutes) / 972 (27 per 90 minutes)
Degrees: 44 (2,4 per 90 minutes) / 94 (2,6 per 90 minutes)
Average grade: 2,83 / 3,11

Karim Benzema is also one of the Real stars who went through a permanent trough this season. On good days he is certainly the strongest striker on the planet, who holds onto the ball in an inimitable manner and creates the necessary space for Ronaldo in particular through his evasive movements on the wings, but the Frenchman often seemed like a foreign body in the Royal's game in the second half of the season. At the beginning of the second half of the season it was his physical condition that raised questions, but over the course of the second half of the season it was suddenly his poor utilization of opportunities that brought the 29-year-old a lot of criticism. Even the outstanding performances against Naples (grade 1,5), Éibar (grade 1) and Bilbao (grade 1) could not help. Zidane stuck with his compatriot - and was rewarded at the end of the season. In the crucial phase, Benzema was reliable and Madrid's centre-forward ensured in an inimitable manner that his attack colleagues were able to shine - and without further ado, he pulled off one of the best dribbles of the season in the Calderón.

CONCLUSION:Overall, it was not a satisfactory season for the Frenchman. Too many of his performances did not live up to the expectations that the 29-year-old has of himself. In addition to numerous weak performances, the number 9 also delivered many (great) bright spots, but Real's centre-forward was completely lacking in consistency. He proved in the final spurt that he can continue to raise the Blancos' game to a higher level when he is in top form.Overall grade: 3,11

Gareth Bale

Stakes (second half of the season / total): 11 / 27
minutes of action: 623 / 1.934
Gates:2 / 9
Assists: 1/5
Passes: 182 (26 per 90 minutes) / 624 (29 per 90 minutes)
Degrees: 19 (2,7 per 90 minutes) / 69 (3,2 per 90 minutes)
Average grade: 3,9/ 3,23

You don't need to be a mind reader to be sure: Gareth Bale would probably like to erase this six months from his memory. First his ankle, then the red card suspension and finally his calf - the Welshman spent most of the second half of the season in the stands and was actually constantly struggling to find his form. This ultimately turned out to be an impossible task, as his body never really wanted to play along. It is therefore not surprising that his performances - when he was on the pitch - did not come anywhere close to meeting his own or Real's expectations.

CONCLUSION:All in all, there is only one thing that can be said about the Brit's season, which actually started pretty well but was hit by his first injury early on: get well soon, Gareth, and attack again next season!Overall grade: 3,23

Lucas Vázquez

Stakes (second half of the season / total): 24 / 50
minutes of action: 879 / 2.282
Gates:2 / 4
Assists: 6/ 14
Passes: 329 (34 per 90 minutes) / 891 (35 per 90 minutes)
Degrees: 23 (2,4 per 90 minutes) / 42 (1,7 per 90 minutes)
Average grade: 3,04 / 2,91

With 50 appearances, he is the Madrid player who made the most appearances over the entire season, but if you look at the second half of the season in detail, the Canterano is somehow something of a "loser" of the second half of the season. Not because the Galician's performances got significantly worse. Rather, it was due to the explosion of performances by Isco and Marco Asensio that the 25-year-old slipped a bit from the undisputed 12th man in the hierarchy and spent two thirds of the second half of the season as a joker. Similar to Mateo Kovačić, the occasional irregularity of appearances was also reflected in his performances, which resulted in a small dip in the middle of the second half of the season. When appearances increased again towards the end of the season, his performance curve also showed a clear upward trend and the Spanish international caused plenty of headaches for his opponents with his speed and dribbling ability. However, the homegrown player can only be said to have plenty of room for improvement in terms of finishing.

CONCLUSION:Looking at the stats, the winger (the second best provider in the team with Marcelo) has had another strong season, and has made a decisive difference in many games, especially as a substitute. Given the increasing competition, the homegrown player will have to work even harder next season to get a similar number of games. The fact that a player of the Galician's caliber, who has often put in convincing performances, now has to fight for his place in the squad is an impressive demonstration of how balanced the squad has become.Overall grade: 2,91

Mariano Diaz

Stakes (second half of the season / total): 6 / 14
minutes of action: 81 / 303
Gates: 0 / 5
Assists:0 / 2
Passes: 5 (6 per 90 minutes) / 42 (12,5 per 90 minutes)
Degrees: 3 (3,3 per 90 minutes) / 16 (4,8 per 90 minutes)
Average grade: 3 / 2,1

As expected, the early exit from the cup meant that the Dominican's already sparse playing time continued to decline. When the Canterano was allowed to play, he showed enormous commitment and indicated that he has a lot of potential. However, the playing time was simply too little for a serious assessment.

CONCLUSION:He fulfilled his role as number three striker in an exemplary manner and even gave up more playing time in the winter so that he could remain with the team. There is no doubt that he will get his (deserved) playing time elsewhere next season.Overall grade: 2,1

Álvaro Morata

Stakes (second half of the season / total): 18 / 43
minutes of action: 733 / 1.874
Gates:11 / 20
Assists: 1 / 6
Passes: 184 (23 per 90 minutes) / 432 (21 per 90 minutes)
Degrees: 28 (3,4 per 90 minutes) / 68 (3,3 per 90 minutes)
Average grade: 2,41 / 2,77

Álvaro Morata has a problem. And that is Karim Benzema. He is a centre forward at Real Madrid because, due to his playing qualities, he is ultimately simply a better match for Cristiano Ronaldo. Unfortunately, from Morata's point of view, eleven goals in the second half of the season and 20 goals this season do not change that much. As an outsider, you can somehow see that the Frenchman may really be the more suitable partner for the number 7. However, it was surprising why Morata was used noticeably less than other colleagues in the second row, especially during Benzema's weak phase, despite good performances. This is probably the only personnel issue where Zidane did not get the dosage right, and Morata's anger and current thoughts of changing seem understandable. Because: When the Canterano played, he mostly performed well and impressed with both his inimitable drive to goal and his defensive efforts. Having a "real" centre-forward in the squad alongside Benzema was simply good for the Madrilenians - and would probably do so again in the next.

CONCLUSION:The returnee has more than fulfilled expectations. It is also understandable that the 24-year-old is ultimately not satisfied with his playing time. Even if his hopes are probably in vain, Morata staying would be a great thing. Because whether as a starter or as a substitute: the Canterano never lacked commitment, his performances were also good, apart from a dip in performance towards the end of the first half of the season, and gave Zidane valuable alternatives. It would be nice to have these in the coming year too. Overall grade: 2,77

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