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After a clinical display against Roma, Real Madrid hosted Espanyol on Saturday. Keeping in mind a very demanding schedule in the upcoming week where they are set to face Sevilla and Atletico Madrid within a span of three days, Lopetegui rested several of his key players such as Kroos, Marcelo, and Bale.
Alvaro Odriozola played his first match of the season in place of Carvajal, and Ceballos replaced Kroos. Mariano got yet another chance to shine, and Lucas Vasquez was also given a chance to impress the home fans.
This was not a thoroughly pleasing performance from Los Blancos, but they still fetched a crucial 3 points and became the leaders of LaLiga - well at least until Barcelona hosts Girona on Sunday. Here are the hits and flops from the match.
Hits
#1 Casemiro’s tackles and distribution
When he took over as Real Madrid manager, Zidane decided to build the struggling Real Madrid defence with Casemiro as the rock in the midfield, and the move paid rich dividends as Casemiro’s pace and ability to cover up empty spaces made him an invaluable addition to the squad. But he has been a tad inconsistent over the past year or so, and the emergence of Dani Ceballos and his impressive performances has led to a few raised eyebrows from the fans.
Today he proved the doubters wrong with a great all round display in front of the home crowd. He covered all the empty spaces left by his captain Ramos, and was clinical with his distribution.
#2 Marco Asensio
After the exit of Ronaldo, Asensio has been hailed as the future of Real Madrid both by experts and fans alike. He is slowly starting to show his worth this season as he scored his first LaLiga goal on Saturday.
Even when he is not scoring goals, he has provided assists and won a few penalties for his side which shows his all round ability. He scored Real Madrid’s only goal after a deflected shot from Luka Modric. He kept switching positions with Isco throughout the game, and often single-handedly tried to penetrate Espanyol's defence.
#3 Isco
There are very few players who are universally admired for their performances, and one such player is Isco. When it comes to pure skills and classy touches, there are very few in LaLiga who can match the standards of Isco.
This was another perfect outing for him as he just kept toying with the defenders, and he was gloriously entertaining to watch inspite of Madrid’s dull play.
Flops
#1 Sergio Ramos
We all know Ramos loves to score goals, and his frequent adventures into the opposition box are slowly beginning to threaten Real Madrid’s prospects in matches. He is just leaving too much empty space behind, and even Raphael Varane with his incredible pace as well as his ability to spot danger isn't able to do much against superior attacking midfielders and strikers.
If not for Casemiro’s tackles, Real would have easily conceded an equaliser. In this game, there was no possible explanation as to why Ramos kept moving forward in spite of Real already having the lead.
#2 Pablo Piatti
When playing against a team as good as Real Madrid, the fans will surely expect players to cling onto even half chances. But this was a pretty simple chance for Pablo, and he completely made a mess of a golden opportunity to score an equaliser.
Just after half time, Pablo came in as a substitute, and the ball was worked neatly to him by the Espanyol midfielders. He had the time to place the ball perfectly into any one of the corners, but instead failed to control the shot and powered it wide off the mark.
