Real Madrid 1-0 Espanyol: 3 things we learned, LaLiga 2018-19

After putting up a dominant display in a 3-0 home victory over AS Roma in the UEFA Champions League, Los Blancos returned to La Liga action on Saturday evening with a clash against Catalan club Espanyol.

Real Madrid triumphed 1-0 to move top of La Liga standings and open up a one-point lead over rivals Barcelona (who have a game in hand), and five clear of Atletico Madrid who are in fifth place.

In a highly thrilling and end-to-end encounter, Marco Asensio's first-half finish was enough to see Madrid edge out Espanyol, and even though the result and performance were not entirely convincing, all that matters is that Real Madrid got all three points. Here are three observations from the clash at the Bernabeu.

#3 Real Madrid's defence is still very suspect

Real Madrid's attacking threat over the last few years has been well documented, as their frontline led by the now departed Ronaldo had an efficient main cast also including Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema. It also had able supporters like Marco Asensio, and this ensured that Real Madrid always scored goals for fun.

Their midfield trio of Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Casemiro is also widely considered by many to be the best in the world, and with them, Real is never short on creativity.

It is in defence where the club has always had issues, as its all-out attacking style of play always left them exposed at the back. It also didn't help that the club had defenders such as Sergio Ramos and Marcelo who fancied themselves as attackers in defender's bodies and bombed forward at will to the neglect of their defensive duties.

The club famously went on an 11-game run in LaLiga where they failed to keep a clean sheet, although thanks to their brilliant attack, this deficiency was often masked.

Against Espanyol, Real was constantly caught out of position, but for poor finishing, they did not suffer any goals.

Both Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane both made silly errors which should have been punished, but the club got away with it.

Ronaldo's departure has taken a high proportion of their goals, and now more than ever, the club's porous defence would be highlighted, and even though Espanyol were not ruthless enough to take their chances but when Real come up against better teams, you can be sure that they wouldn't be so lucky.

#2 Benzema would flourish as the focal point of Real's attack

Benzema is a rejuvenated player

Ronaldo and Benzema both arrived Real Madrid in the summer of 2009, with the former arriving as the best player in the world, and the latter with a reputation of being a lethal goalscorer owing to his impressive feats with Lyon in Ligue 1.

Over the next nine seasons, both men's fates were intertwined as they won a plethora of trophies together including four Champions League trophies, but on an individual level, they had markedly different outcomes.

Whereas Ronaldo became the star of the show and grabbed all the headlines due to his otherworldly goalscoring stats, Benzema became the sideshow, the one who sacrificed all of his scorer's instincts in a bid to make Ronaldo score goals and cement his legacy.

Early on in their partnership together, Benzema flourished and hit 20+ goals for six consecutive seasons between 2011 and 2016, but in the last two seasons, he has seen his performance levels drop, and criticisms were levelled against the Frenchman over his low scoring returns.

He, however, had staunch allies in Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane, but his performances raised doubts over his suitability as a centre-forward for a club the size of Real Madrid.

After Ronaldo departed, many believed the club would rid itself of Benzema and rumours surfaced that Napoli had made inquiries, but in a shock move, new manager Julen Lopetegui decided to stick with the French Man, and it is a decision which has reaped dividends.

In just five La Liga matches, Karim Benzema has scored four goals (which is just one short of his total tally in 32 appearances last season).

Benzema plays like a man with his confidence renewed, and even though he didn't find the back of the net against Espanyol, he was constantly full of running and was a threat to the Catalans' backline throughout the match.

Ronaldo's departure has paved the way for Benzema to lead the line for the first time since his arrival, and on the basis of what we've seen so far, he would excel in the role, and Real fans can finally get a glimpse of what he was about earlier in his career.

#1 This would be Asensio's breakout season

Real Madrid CF v RCD Espanyol - La Liga

The 22-year-old was signed by Real in 2014 from Mallorca, as he was seen as the future of Spanish football, but was loaned out over the next two seasons to gain much needed playing time.

On his return to the club in 2016, Marco still struggled to break into the first team owing to the presence of more established superstars. He did play his part in the odd match or two, including scoring the fourth goal in Real 4-1 victory over Juve in the 2017 Champions League final.

He further announced his capabilities at the start of last season with two cleanly struck goals from outside the box against Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup but was still down the pecking order, and there were fears expressed over whether he would achieve his immense potential at Real Madrid.

Ronaldo's departure however always meant that Asensio would be given more playing time down that right flank, and he has grabbed the opportunity with both hands.

He scored his first ever international goal a fortnight ago against Croatia and opened his account this season with the winner against Espanyol.

Asensio has all the tools to be a great footballer on the field, as well as the marketability required off it, and this could be the season where he truly begins to main event headlines.