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Real Madrid clawed back the 7 point gap to Barcelona, temporarily at least, with a hard-fought 2-1 win away to Deportivo Alaves. The result leaves Madrid fourth in the Liga table, although Valencia, Levante, Real Sociedad and Real Betis could all leapfrog Los Blancos with a win.
It was the Dani Ceballos show at the Mendizorrotza, as he opened the scoring with a well-taken strike, only for Manu Garcia to deservedly draw Alaves level in the 40th minute. However, Ceballos scored minutes later to restore Madrid's lead after a gift from Pacheco. Alaves managed to hit the post twice in the second half, as they caused Madrid plenty of problems.
Here are the major talking points from the game
#1 Dani Ceballos comes to the fore
There was plenty of anguish from Spanish pundits (mostly the Catalan ones) when Dani Ceballos signed for Real Madrid this summer, as they argued that a promising player who set alight the U-20 Euros with his performances needed to play and not sit on the bench. However, injuries have offered Ceballos his chance to shine, and the Spaniard grabbed it with both hands tonight.
The former Betis midfielder's habit of making a late run into the box proved pivotal, as he displayed the calm usually associated with a striker for both of his goals, striking the ball with a calm that looked almost Toni Kroos-esque in execution.
Ceballos can take inspiration from Isco, who made his 200th appearance for Real Madrid today, but could only be considered a first team regular from the start of 2017. Ceballos will find regular game-time hard to come by, but if he bides his time, he could become the bedrock of the Madrid midfield in a couple of seasons.
#2 La Fabrica products have a mixed day
Aside from Real Madrid itself, Deportivo Alaves boast the most products from Real Madrid's academy in the entirety of La Liga, with 5 of their players having been moulded at La Fabrica. The pre-match talk in the papers was all about Enzo Zidane, but caretaker boss Javier Cabello cleverly left the youngster out of the squad to protect him from the spotlight.
There were plenty of Madrid products who did grab the spotlight, as Burgui, Alvaro Medran and Fernando Pacheco were heavily involved, albeit in wildly differing ways. The creative force of Alaves ran Madrid ragged, with their effervescent style of play forcing Madrid to cede control in midfield for large spells of the game, a situation perhaps exacerbated by the absence of Toni Kroos and Luka Modric.
However, Dani Pacheco will look back on this game as one to forget, as it was his error that ultimately resulted in Madrid winning three points. The Alaves keeper looked plenty nervous in the second half as well, spilling a few more crosses that could have easily resulted in the game becoming safe for Madrid.
#3 Karim Benzema's absence will be felt keenly by Cristiano Ronaldo
The three points were of prime importance for Real Madrid fans, but there are still worrying signs that may undermine them in the games to come. Cristiano Ronaldo is still working his way back to his best, having now gone 180 minutes without a Liga goal, but the Portuguese star is missing his partner-in-crime.
There were plenty of moments in the first half where a run from Cristiano was ignored, but what will stick out in the memory is when Isco was through on goal and facing Pacheco, with Ronaldo next to him ready to tap into an empty net. If that was Karim Benzema, that would have been a pass to Ronaldo; a goal, and thus, a far more comfortable game for Real Madrid.
With players like Isco and Marco Asensio opting for a more selfish style of play, Benzema's altruism that knits together Madrid's attack is being keenly missed. He may not score much, but the Frenchman is the glue that holds it together. However, Ronaldo may find inspiration of his own from the jeers of opposition fans, which was aplenty from the crowd at the Mendizorrotza. Ronaldo came alive, as he managed to hit the woodwork after that.
Maybe there is hope without Benzema, after all.
#4 Gianni de Biasi will love this Deportivo Alaves side
Manu Garcia got Alaves' first goal last season and repeated the feat this time around as well, although the circumstances in which the club finds itself is a bit more torrid. Luis Zubeldia, the youngest manager in Spain, was unceremoniously sacked after just 5 games, as Alaves managed zero points and no goals in that time.
Gianni de Biasi has been appointed by Alaves, and tellingly, he is a manager who specializes in ensuring his sides do not go down. What the Italian veteran witnessed tonight will please him greatly - players of Manu Garcia's ilk - experienced, hard-workers full of running - is what he loves the most and Alaves may salvage more than just survival this season.
The hosts may still have no points on the board, but this performance against the might of Real Madrid is the perfect platform around which to build a base, as Rodrigo Ely and Guillermo Maripan's last ditch defending was perfectly matched by the endeavour up front. An inch to the right and Pedraza's shot would have earned a deserved point for Alaves - keep at it and the margins will eventually swing their way.
#5 The records continue to tumble for Zidane's side
'Real Madrid's win may have papered over the cracks', would be the opinion of many a Madrid pundit, and while there is merit to that school of thought, one needs to remember just how many first-team regulars Madrid are without at the moment. Zinedine Zidane's eery calm simply will not allow his players to panic even when the chips are down as his charges proved tonight.
Madrid put in plenty of effort as their fluidity deserted them today, with plenty of graft ensuring that they managed to come away from the Mendizorrotza with all three points.
The records continued to tumble, as Real Madrid made it 33 consecutive games scoring away from home, the longest in Liga history. Another away record came Madrid's way, as they equalled Barcelona's record of the most consecutive away wins set in the 2010/11 season with their 12th consecutive win on the road.
Crisis, what crisis?
