Injuries severely weakened Real Madrid and forced Arbeloa to field a steely midfield, with Valverde, Tchouameni, and Camavinga all in the same position. A triple dose of muscle for a team lacking creativity and confidence in a stadium that sees them as modern-day Mijatovic invaders. From the outset, the expected happened: they couldn't find a way through against a pressing Valencia side, pressured by their own fans.

The defense also looked patched together, with academy graduate David Jiménez playing at right-back. Arbeloa didn't dare to use Trent, who had been out for over two months, or Carvajal, who had only played 68 minutes since September. Both are far from their best. And up front, he opted for Gonzalo's nose for goal instead of Brahim's pace, whose impressive performance at the Africa Cup of Nations hasn't translated into success at Real Madrid. He deserves better treatment.

Corberán, who lost Foulquier at the last minute, applied the corrective measure of a three-center-back formation with two attacking full-backs, Rioja and Gayà, to exploit the flanks against Madrid after their Copa del Rey failure, yet another blow to a fanbase far more supportive of the team and its ownership. This 5-4-1 formation, which they adopted without the ball, significantly stifled Madrid's attack. Their bursts of grit allowed them to force a few corners, the closest thing they had to a scoring opportunity.