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The Los Blancos have looked in good form this season collecting 10 points from 4 matches and the absence of Ronaldo has not affected the proceedings too much. On Saturday they faced Espanyol in front of a capacity crowd at the Santiago Bernabéu. After a tight midweek schedule, Lopetegui decided to rest many of his key players such as Toni Kroos, Marcelo, and Gareth Bale.
Nacho played as a Left back while Alvaro Odriozola played his first match of the season as a right back. Once again Real Madrid made a truckload of passes and their passing accuracy was also top class. But, this was nowhere close to a one-sided contest as Espanyol were fast and precise on their counter attacks and could have easily equalised with a bit more luck. In the end, Real Madrid won 1-0 and climbed to the top of La Liga table. Here are the major talking points from the match.
1. Real’s adjustment to Lopetegui’s style
For all the accolades and major honors that Zidane won during his time as the Los Blancos manager, the one constant criticism that was leveled at him throughout his tenure was the lack of one specific style of play. This led to very inconsistent performances in La Liga and even in the UCL but they were overshadowed by Ronaldo’s insane ability to score goals at will. But as Ronaldo’s form dipped last season, Real Madrid looked sloppy and as a result finished in the 3rd place.
When Lopetegui took over the reins, there were many doubts as to whether Real would stick to his trademark tiki-taka style. It seems that Lopetegui has implemented his mark on the side as evidenced by the increase in the number of short passes and lesser shots. The results have been mixed so far with the side looking very dominant against smaller clubs but they have struggled when it comes to bigger opponents. The upcoming week will be a Litmus test for Lopetegui with an away game against Sevilla on Wednesday and a home game against Diego Simeone's Atletico.
2. The Sergio Ramos conundrum
Ramos has been one of the longest-serving players for Real Madrid and his achievements as a defender are unparalleled. Even at 32, there are very few defenders in the world who can handle pacy counterattacks with so much ease and this gifted ability enables him to drift into the opponent goal scoring area. But in recent times, this has become an obsession for Ramos to the point that the fans are left to wonder whether he is a center back or a striker. He is slowly starting to look a bit sloppy while defending as he gave away the ball at the edge of his own box to Borja Iglesias, but his stunning scoop shot hit the crossbar.
The Los Blancos captain has to remember that his team needs his defensive duties very badly if they are to perform consistently against quality opponents.
3. Madrid’s sloppiness while attacking
Lopetegui’s possession play and slow build up have its share of disadvantages and they were pretty evident to the home crowd on Saturday. It looked like the Madrid team had no motivated striker as there was only 1 shot on target during the first half. After starting the season on a high, Benzema has not registered even a single shot on target in Real’s last three games. Isco and Asensio both are talented wingers but they are playmakers rather than strikers. Even when the wingers are inside the opposition box, they are just passing the ball around hoping that someone finds the net.
Real Madrid have to sort this weakness and they need a pure striker to complement all the great work in the midfield, otherwise keeping possession just for the sake of it won’t win them any matches.
4. Benzema’s form
Benzema had a horrific 2017/18 season, scoring just five goals in the Spanish League and looking out of place in most of the matches. Those are just very poor numbers for a striker but he began this season with 4 goals showing a lot of promise. But the struggles of last season looks set to be back as he has not registered a single shot on target in Real Madrid’s last 3 games and again looked lost in the field against Espanyol.
Compensating for someone as good as Ronaldo is impossible, but asking for a single shot on target per match is surely not too much to ask for from a player of Benzema’s quality.
5. Rubi’s tactics
Rubi played an essential role in Huesca’s promotion to the first division this year and when he took over as Espanyol manager, the expectations were high. He has done decently so far and Espanyol was not at all outplayed by a far superior Madrid side and that is a big positive.
It is evident that he places a lot of value on solid defending and searing counterattacks. With Iglesias and Baptistao supporting him well with their pace, Espanyol fans will hope for a better finish than last year.
