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As the La Liga title gets closer and closer, one squad is beginning to stand apart from the rest. <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/category/real-madrid-2/">Real Madrid</a> has been firing on all cylinders due to a continued run of superb form from talisman Cristiano Ronaldo. Their best player thus far, the Portuguese international has been absolutely sensational this term, scoring 18 goals already. But Ronaldo’s talent has been helped immensely by the skilful players he is surrounded by.
However, Ronaldo is not benefiting solely from his teammates but also from his manager. Carlo Ancelotti has switched the Madrid line-up to a 4-4-2, with Ronaldo and Benzema spearheading the attack. This has lead to Ronaldo playing a striker, a position he had not previously occupied. Ronaldo is now seeing more shots on goal and total goals as a direct result of being able to run straight towards goals rather than moving into a more central position from the left. However, with Gareth Bale soon returning, it looks more and more likely that Ancelotti will revert to the 4-3-3 or even the 4-2-3-1.
Best XI:
This season’s best XI is already shaping up to be one of the greatest Real Madrid lineups ever assembled. The goalkeeper is, without a doubt, Iker Casillas. The Spain legend has reaffirmed himself as the clear No. 1, despite Keylor Navas being brought in from Levante. Dani Carvajal holds down the right-back spot due to a number of stellar performances. Despite Neymar running through the Madrid back line like it was the youth team, Carvajal has been a steady performer for the Madrid back line. Sergio Ramos and Pepe combine in the center for a pairing that many teams have struggled to get the better of. While Pepe continues to struggle with finding consistent form, Ramos has established himself as one of, if not the, best center back in the world. To complete the back line, Marcelo lines up on the left to provide speed both on the defensive and offensive series of play. Marcelo has been a standout performer and was vital in the 3-1 defeat of <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/category/barcelona-2/">Barcelona</a> in El Clasico.
In defensive midfield, Luka Modric and Toni Kroos have combined to form what could be the best midfield in the world. Both players possess the ability to make decisive tackles and create opportunities through dazzling build up play. The two have completed 1,427 passes between them and show no signs of stopping. With the ability to score long range goals, this midfield is a force to be reckoned with. However, on a devastating note for the side Modric picked up an injury on international duty and expected to miss three to four months – a major blow for Real. On the left, Ronaldo has continued to dazzle with incredible performance after incredible performance. He has improved not only his goalscoring record but also his assists, second in the team with five assists, Ronaldo is finally beginning to develop the cutting eye that could complete his game. On the right is Bale, the perfect complement to Ronaldo on the left. Bale has settled into life, understanding that he is not the star of this team. Five goals and three assists befits Bale as he has suffered from nagging injuries from the past year. James Rodriguez slips into the No. 10 role, a position he has certainly adapted to with aplomb. Already adding four assists this season, Rodriguez is easily Madrid’s most improved player. As he came in, Rodriguez often looked lost as he had been used to being the star on his team, both for Colombia and for AS Monaco. He has since assimilated, as Bale did, and has since realized where he stands in the team. To complete the attack, Karim Benzema occupies the lone striker role. The Frenchman has been exemplary this season, contributing crucial goals when needed, such as in El Clasico, and adding assists when needed.
What needs to be addressed in the transfer window?
One area that will need to be filled come January will be center-back. While Raphael Varane is a one of the best young talents in the world, at least one more top defender will be needed to ensure injuries do not hinder Real’s title chase. While Nacho has very big potential, he is not yet ready to consistently perform well at the top level. This is why someone with plenty of international caps and experience at the highest level will be needed to maintain the title chase.
Rating (out of 5 stars): 4.75
Had it not been for two slip-ups against Real Sociedad and Atletico Madrid, Real would find themselves at a perfect 5. Those two results show the need for depth in defense, as Pepe is still positionally culpable at times. This season is looking very promising and the treble is looking closer with every match played.

Read Our Progress Report on Real Madrid’s Performances After 11 Gameweeks

Read Our Progress Report on Real Madrid's Performances After 11 Gameweeks - World Soccer Talk

<div style="width: 510px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><div><figure class="image"></figure></div>Can Jose Mourinho lead Karim Benzema back into the flock?</div>
With the reinstitution of the Galáctico policy following Florentino Pérez’s return as President of Real Madrid last summer, Pérez wasted no time in the second construction of his universe-beating side. &nbsp;Lost in the shuffle of Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaká, and Xabi Alonso joining the club, Karim Benzema quietly transferred from Olympique Lyonnais to Real Madrid, if a €35 million transfer can be considered as quiet.
Real stalwart Gonzalo Higuaín and aging team legend and Real all-time goal-scorer Raúl González Blanco stood in the way of Karim Benzema from immediately usurping the starting center forward position in trainer (what managers are called in Spain) Manuel Pellegrini’s system. &nbsp;After a couple months of shuffling the starting eleven, Pellegrini justifiably relegated Benzema to a role as a super sub, marginalizing Benzema’s impact on the pitch.
Another summer of world-class player signings and a coaching change signaled a dying hope that Benzema would become more of the player that garnered €35 million for Lyon in 2009. &nbsp;No such luck for Benzema, as José Mourinho opted for his patented 4-2-3-1 with Gonzalo Higuaín as the lone figure up front. &nbsp;In his only start in La Liga this season against Osasuna, the Real Madrid attack played disjointedly, and Benzema ghosted through his seventy-one minute appearance with little to no impact.
With an important match against Hércules, the giant-killers of La Liga this season, Mourinho saw no reason to change a successful lineup, which meant another seat on the substitute’s bench for Karim Benzema.

If Real Madrid had any inclinations of cruising through their match against Hércules, the Greek demi-god punched them in the mouth early when David Trézéguet tallied the opening goal in the third minute. &nbsp;David Cortés provided the perfect cross from the right wing, and from just inside the penalty spot, Pepe could not recover to challenge Trézéguet in the air, and Trézéguet lofted his header to the right far post, where Iker Casillas could only watch helplessly as the ball nestled into his net.
Hércules has written this story in volumes this season. &nbsp;They sauntered into the Camp Nou without any visible signs of nervousness or tension and defeated Barcelona 0-2 on the backing of two Nelson Haedo Valdez strikes. &nbsp;At home against Sevilla, David Trézéguet notched a brace as they made los nervionenses look lifeless and diffident, ultimately costing Sevilla trainer Antonio Álvarez his job. &nbsp;On a Monday night, with Villarreal needing a win to sit on top of the mountain in La Liga for the first time in its history, Hércules did not treat their Valencian neighbors with such exaltation as they fought to a 2-2 draw after falling a man down for the majority of the second half.
Ángel di María equalized early in the second half after capitalizing on Hércules goalkeeper Juan Calatayud spillage from Cristiano Ronaldo’s thirty-yard speculative effort, and while Real heaped the pressure on Hércules, they could not fashion the killer chance that would give them the lead. &nbsp;With fifteen minutes left on the clock, José Mourinho made his first switch of the match, taking out the central defender Pepe and sending in striker Karim Benzema. &nbsp;While many note Mourinho for his ability to inspire his players and his acumen for defensively organizing his teams on the pitch with the control of an obsessive-compulsive, his adroitness to move the chess pieces around during the match remains understated.
After Benzema posted another poor game against Real Murcia in the Copa del Rey, no one would have been surprised if Benzema fell off Mourinho’s map completely. &nbsp;Before that Copa del Rey tie on Tuesday, Mourinho sent an ultimatum to his player concerning their Segunda División B hosts:
<blockquote>“If last year’s situation (at Alcorcon) repeats itself, I will cross those who play off my list because they will be dead to me.”</blockquote>
Mourinho invoked the spirit of Don Vito Corleone with that line, but with most of what Mourinho says during press conferences, these statements should be taken with a grain of salt. &nbsp;After Marcelo and sporting director Jorge Valdano vowed their support for Benzema, Mourinho reiterated his backing for the under-fire Benzema. &nbsp;At the Friday press conference preceding their Saturday match against Hércules, Mourinho encouraged Benzema while deflecting criticism of his player by taking pot shots at his rivals, a Mourinho specialty:
<blockquote>“The person primarily responsible for his performance is the player himself. &nbsp;The coach is simply an employee. &nbsp;He is not playing well, but he is not dead. &nbsp;We will try to improve him and get him to a level close to his potential. &nbsp;There are other teams who have other players who have cost a lot of money and have not gotten enough goals.”</blockquote>
This thinly veiled attack on “struggling” FC Barcelona striker David Villa surely had the scribes in the Madrid and Barcelona press in full typing and writing gear, which served Mourinho’s purpose perfectly, as it took the attention away from Benzema and on another topic.
Benzema could not hide behind Mourinho’s words anymore as he sent the French international in to change the match with a quarter of an hour left.
Hiding would be the antonym of what Benzema provided for los blancos, and six minutes after Benzema’s inclusion into the match, Real stunned the crowd in the Estadio José Rico Pérez with the go-ahead goal to make it 1-2.
Marcelo should get credit for most of that goal as his run down the left flank and up the end line, rounding David Cortés on the way with strength not normally associated with the Brazilian fullback, provided the decisive cutback pass for Benzema in the penalty area. &nbsp;With a striker’s instinct, Benzema’s first-time shot blistered at Calatayud’s goal, forcing Calatayud to parry it away with aplomb due to the velocity of the shot. &nbsp;Fortunately for Real Madrid, the rebound off Calatayud’s save went straight to Cristiano Ronaldo, and Ronaldo side-footed it into the open net.
With a slim one-goal lead, an insurance goal would put the match away for Real, and in the 86th minute, that situation occurred to give the league-leaders the 1-3 cushion. &nbsp;Ronaldo provided the through ball for Benzema into space near the endline on the right wing, and Benzema rewarded Ronaldo with a pinpoint cutback pass from the endline, and Ronaldo made no mistake with his first-time effort as he powered it past Calatayud to his right near post.
1-3 fulltime, and no two men were happier with the win than José Mourinho and Karim Benzema.
In Greek mythology, Hercules died after he wore a tunic his wife Deianeira gave him covered in Hydra’s poisonous blood. &nbsp;Deianeira did not know that the tunic contained the blood because the mischievous centaur Nessus gave the shirt to her, telling her it would bring about the excitement of love to her husband. &nbsp;Benzema was that blood-soaked tunic, and Mourinho played the part of Deianeira, not knowing that Benzema would ultimately kill Hércules with his striking poison.
While Hércules suffered this Greek tragedy, Karim Benzema became the hero, if only for a day. &nbsp;Like Odysseus, Benzema is still traveling on his odyssey to find the consistent form that the Madridistas demand and the exorbitant transfer fee expects.
Will a superb fifteen minutes turn around over a year of underwhelming play for club and country? &nbsp;With a settled starting eleven that shows no signs of breaking down, Benzema will have to prove his worth in substitute appearances in La Liga and the Champions League and spot starts in the Copa del Rey. &nbsp;When the rumors flew around that Benzema was leaving the Stade de Gerland and Lyon, Benzema did not play up to his capabilities, as Lyon did not win Ligue 1 in 2009 after seven consecutive championships.
As the rumors continue to swirl about his transfer out of Madrid to Manchester United and other European suitors, Benzema will need to provide more efficient performances, as he did in his fifteen-minute stint against Hércules. &nbsp;When Lyon faded in the 2008-09 season to a distant third place, Benzema was the central figure in Lyon’s attack, and although he scored seventeen goals, second behind André-Pierre Gignac’s twenty-four, Benzema’s personality befits more of a secondary scorer rather than the main man.
Benzema certainly is not the center of focus with Real Madrid with Cristiano Ronaldo and Gonzalo Higuaín delivering the majority of the scoring. &nbsp;If Benzema keeps his nose to the grindstone and focuses on his football rather than what the writers are saying about him, it might not keep him in Madrid but will make him look much more attractive to other European suitors. &nbsp;Benzema is likely playing for his next job, and Real Madrid should be excited about that prospect because he will try twice as hard to look good for Manchester United, et al., which means a higher chance of productive performances for Real Madrid and Mourinho’s men.
Fueras de Juego
– Villarreal should feel fortunate to come away from the monsoon in El Molinón with a 1-1 draw after former Villarreal midfielder Sebastián Eguren gave his old team a gift by putting his arms around Carlos Marchena in the penalty area in stoppage time to hand the Yellow Submarine a soft penalty. &nbsp;Marchena predictably fell to the ground like a sack of flour when he felt a hint of Eguren’s arms around him. &nbsp;The match could be twisted as a good comeback with a man down after Gonzalo Rodríguez received his second yellow card with fifteen minutes left, but it showed more that Villarreal still has trouble winning away from El Madrigal, and these types of results will prevent them from challenging Barcelona and Real Madrid, unfortunately.
– Espanyol made Deportivo La Coruña look like the “Super Depor” of a decade ago as the Galicians earned their first victory of the season with a 3-0 thumping of Espanyol at El Riazor on Sunday afternoon. &nbsp;Similar to Villarreal, Espanyol finds it hard to achieve results away from home, but whereas Villarreal’s 2-2-1 away record is decent enough to challenge for a UEFA Champions League spot, Espanyol’s 1-0-4 dreadful away record will prevent los periquitos from earning a top-six spot and a UEFA Europa League berth. &nbsp;Due to the other results this weekend, Espanyol somehow stayed in fifth position after Jornada 9, but until they can right their woes away from the Estadi Cornellà-El Prat, Espanyol will end up with another mid-table finish.
– Although Málaga created eight more scoring chances than Real Sociedad (11 to 3), held 58% of the possession, and had six more shots on target than Real Sociedad (9 to 3), La Liga’s most explosive team on both ends of the pitch lost again at home, this time to Real Sociedad 1-2. &nbsp;Five losses out of five at La Rosaleda are simply inexcusable for Jesualdo Ferreira’s team as they fall into the relegation zone for the first time this season. &nbsp;For Real Sociedad, the trio of Antoine Griezmann, Xabi Prieto, and Joseba Llorente are as entertaining an attacking force as any in La Liga, including the Messi-Pedro-Villa threesome at Barcelona, Ronaldo-Higuaín-di María at Real, or Nilmar-Rossi-Cazorla at Villarreal. &nbsp;Llorente slotted a perfectly weighted through ball for Griezmann, which Griezmann placed into the net for the opening goal, and Xabi Prieto curled a meticulous cross from the left wing that Llorente could not miss.
– In Sevilla’s last two matches in La Liga at the Camp Nou as well as the second leg of the 2010 Supercopa de España in Barcelona, Sevilla lost all those matches 4-0. &nbsp;Saturday night’s match against Barcelona in the Camp Nou broke that trend. &nbsp;It was 5-0 in favor of Barcelona.

La Liga Jornada 9 Review: Real Madrid Passes Herculean Test - World Soccer Talk

La Liga Jornada 9 Review: Real Madrid Passes Herculean Test

<div id="attachment_2243" style="width: 510px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><div><figure class="image"></figure></div>Oscar Ustari can only stare blankly as Gonzalo Higuaín beats him for a second time.</div>
The fashionable district.&nbsp; The working-class south.&nbsp; The established.&nbsp; The disrespected.&nbsp; Commerce.&nbsp; Industry.&nbsp; A comparison between the two top Madrid clubs.&nbsp; Getafe just wants to be in the conversation.&nbsp; They are in the city too, they say.&nbsp; Real Madrid does not disrespect them because they are not in Real’s radar.&nbsp; With Atlético Madrid struggling to steer their campaign in the right direction, Getafe CF had a chance to be noticed in the capital against Real Madrid at the eminent and illustrious Estadio Santiago Bernabéu.
The recent difficulties for Real Madrid have been well documented.&nbsp; Outclassed by Sevilla, beaten by AC Milan, mediocre against Sporting Gijón, and embarrassed by Alcorcón.&nbsp; All told, one win, one draw, and three losses in the last five for Madrid. &nbsp;It only took until the middle of October for the rumors to start about the future and viability of Manuel Pellegrini at the Bernabéu.&nbsp; The last event that Pellegrini needed to happen was another slip-up at the hands of their unnoticed cousin from the southern part of the Madrid metropolitan area.
The first half hour of the match saw few chances between the two teams, and the funereal atmosphere within the Santiago Bernabéu did not help in spurring on Real Madrid.&nbsp; What sparked both the Madridistas and the players occurred in the 28th minute, when Raúl Albiol unjustly received a straight red card.&nbsp; Apparently, in the eyes of referee Antonio Miguel Mateu Lahoz, Albiol prevented Getafe striker Roberto Soldado from a direct goal-scoring opportunity.&nbsp; Albiol did pull the shirt of Soldado somewhat, but they both went for the ball in the air, leading to inevitable contact.&nbsp; At worst, Mateu Lahoz should have given a yellow card to Albiol, but this highly controversial call gave Getafe the one-man advantage and more hope that they could upset Real Madrid in their own stadium.
Pedro León’s subsequent free kick could not curl enough as it flew a couple yards wide of the right post, but Getafe neglected to use the extra man to their benefit.&nbsp; Paradoxically, Real Madrid actually played better with more vim and vigor after the red card and constantly threatened the Getafe goal through halftime.&nbsp; Kaká and Karim Benzema played a two-man game down the left wing in one attack, with Kaká laying a perfect pull-back from the byline to Benzema, but Benzema’s strongly struck shot stung goalkeeper Oscar Ustari’s hands as he parried it away from goal.&nbsp; Even though it was a 0-0 score at halftime, Real Madrid seemed more likely to open the scoring, while Getafe played a more conservative game after Albiol’s dismissal.&nbsp; The whistles rained down from the Madridistas, but they aimed their anger more at the referees as they headed into their dressing room for halftime.
When Gonzalo Higuaín broke the deadlock in the 53rd minute to give Real Madrid the 1-0 lead, the run of play dictated that Real deserved to be ahead.&nbsp; From the left wing, Marcelo whipped in a cross to Higuaín, who split between two defenders in the air, and after chesting the ball down to create space, it was a simple finish as Ustari had no chance to prevent the inevitable.
Getafe only changed their tactics after Higuaín scored.&nbsp; After the referee sent off Albiol, Getafe continued to tread water rather than go for the lead.&nbsp; When the goal transpired, panic seized through Getafe manager Míchel and his team, and they decided to be more gung ho in attack.&nbsp; This tactic backfired three minutes later, when Lassana Diarra created a turnover in midfield, and there were only two Getafe defenders in their own half.&nbsp; A two versus two battle between Mario and Cata Díaz and Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higuaín yielded predictable results.&nbsp; With the defenders on their heels, Benzema slotted a through ball to Higuaín, who took two touches and side-footed his shot across goal and across Oscar Ustari into the back of the net.&nbsp; 2-0 to the home team and assured three points.
Fabio Celestini had a couple of long-distance efforts that forced Iker Casillas into some good saves, but the second goal took the wind out of Getafe’s sails as they played out the final half hour without any significant scoring chances.&nbsp; In eighth place starting Round 9 of La Liga, Getafe looked to continue their good form against a reeling Real Madrid side.&nbsp; In particular, Roberto Soldado, Miguel Torres, Dani Parejo, and Adrián González wanted to prove to their former parent club that they should not have given up on them.&nbsp; All members of the Real Madrid cantera, they disappointed as they failed to appreciably affect and effect the game to their fullest extent.&nbsp; Especially when Real Madrid was handicapped with one less man, they did not have the gusto that was required to defeat any Real Madrid side.
To their credit, Real Madrid arguably had their most impressive performance of the season.&nbsp; It was not necessarily due to stellar football, but it was their resolve and grit to take control of a game when they went a man down and seemingly every call went against them.&nbsp; The 60/40 ratio of possession in Getafe’s favor meant nothing when observing the game; Getafe was ponderous with the ball, while Real were decisive and efficient after the red card.&nbsp; Real Madrid expected to win this game, and even when they went a man down, they were the slightest of favorites to come out with a result, but Getafe never tilted the scales in their favor when they had the chance, and for that, they should be utterly frustrated with themselves.

Getafe Fails to Capitalize Against a Ten Man Real Madrid - World Soccer Talk

Getafe Fails to Capitalize Against a Ten Man Real Madrid

<div><figure class="image"></figure></div>
Real Madrid 5-0 Xerez
1-0 Ronaldo, 1′
2-0 Ronaldo, 75′
3-0 Guti, 78′
4-0 Benzema, 82′
5-0 Van Nistelrooy, 89′
Real Madrid moved to the top of the table Sunday, ahead of Barcelona on goal differential, after a 5-0 rout of Xerez that was a more difficult affair than the final score might indicate. Cristiano Ronaldo netted a second straight brace for his new club and did all the meaningful scoring, giving Real the two-goal cushion upon which they built their late-game goal flurry. Yet even with all the talent in the world – quite literally – wearing white on the pitch, many questions remain for Madrid after a win that was less dominating than one would expect against a newly promoted side.
Despite (or perhaps because of) the quarter of a billion Euros splashed out this summer, Real took the better part of 90 minutes to finally click as a team. Last week I railed against their defensive miscues, but a similar charge can be leveled against their offense, which continues to rake in the goals despite playing a haphazard, individualistic style of football. After Ronaldo scored on a zinger in the first minute, Madrid appeared to go into hibernation for the next 70+ minutes, creating little more than moments of individual brilliance in the midst of mediocre play. Xerez just kept plugging away, little engine that could style, and their midfield did a commendable job of jamming up the works and preventing Madrid from ever finding a rhythm. With no Xabi Alonso to pull the strings in midfield, Real were left with Gago and Lass playing the double-pivot and little creativity flowing from the midfield.
As much was made clear when Pellegrini yanked Raul and Kaka in favor of Granero and Guti, leaving CR9 to partner Benzema as the two out-and-out strikers. All of a sudden the ball was moving more fluidly and play was built up from the midfield to create opportunities for the attacking players. Xerez clung to the one-goal deficit for a surprisingly long time, and the Andalucian side even had a number of chances to tie the game. Their failure to provide any quality service into the box was eventually their undoing, though, and with a quarter of an hour remaining Ronaldo skied in the box to head home Granero’s corner and secure the victory.
After that, the floodgates opened. Benzema whiffed at the ball, missing it completely about eight yards out, leaving it for Guti to clean up and smash past Xerez keeper Renan. The young Frenchman got his shortly thereafter when he drove up the lefthand side, juked the defender out of position just enough, and then blasted a left-footed shot into the net for 4-0 and his first regular season goal with Real Madrid. Even Ruud Van Nistelrooy got in on the act two minutes from time, scoring Real’s fifth on a slotted shot that nutmegged the keeper and rewarded the standing ovation he got from the fans on his introduction.
It was an amazing final fifteen minutes that displayed, in a brief flourish, all that these new-look Galacticos are capable of. But the other 75 minutes painted a more worrying picture, one of a team still struggling to find itself amidst all the new signings and suffering some growing pains in the process. Xerez didn’t possess enough threats to really test them defensively, but in the absence of defensive pressure their offense showed its own lack of fluency for much of the game. Unlike the team’s defensive troubles, though, I’m not exceedingly worried about these offensive hicc-ups. They will be worked out, and in much less time than it will take to get the back line in order. And until all those kinks are ironed out, there will always be a Cristiano or a Kaka or a Benzema etc. etc. to pull another rabbit out of the hat to save them. Today, there were five rabbits to be found, four of them in quick succession, in the dispatching of Xerez. A bit more consistency and a lot more fluency will go a long way toward calming the nerves of the fans who expressed their anxiety as the lack of a second goal weighed heavier and heavier in this one. The goals will quiet the critics for now, but for the sake of La Liga I hope they find their game sooner rather than later.

Another Impressive Scoreline Conceals Real's Frailties - World Soccer Talk

Another Impressive Scoreline Conceals Real's Frailties

<div id="attachment_1732" style="width: 510px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><div><figure class="image"></figure></div>Together for the moment</div>
The much-anticipated return of La Liga began with a scintillating match between the new galácticos of Real Madrid and the pesky Deportivo La Coruña, who always gives Madrid a run for their money, literally.&nbsp; Because of the continued suspension of Pepe and the tendinitis suffered by Sergio Ramos, the Real Madrid defense was not at full strength, and Ezequiel Garay and Álvaro Arbeloa started in their positions respectively.&nbsp; All of Madrid’s big signings started, and they began in a fluid 4-2-3-1 formation with Lass and Xabi Alonso in central midfield and in front of the back four, Cristiano Ronaldo on the right of the three, Raúl on the left, and Kaká roaming in the middle behind the striker Karim Benzema.
Early in the match, Madrid played tentatively as expected, trying to figure the best strategy to incorporate the strengths of the new players.&nbsp; They created a plethora of chances but did not construct the decisive pass to generate a genuine goal-scoring opportunity.&nbsp; Then the magic materialized that los madridistas expected since the formation of this second galáctico team.
In the 26th minute, on another attacking situation, Kaká’s vision and audacity came to fruition.&nbsp; Cutting inside towards the “D,” Kaká sensed the diagonal run of Karim Benzema and slotted a pass to him that traveled first between Pablo Álvarez’s legs, then between Juan Rodríguez’s legs to spot Karim Benzema.&nbsp; Benzema then fired his shot first time, split through goalkeeper Daniel Aranzubía’s legs, and hit the post; Raúl cleaned up the rebound, and it was 1-0 Real Madrid.&nbsp; It was debatable whether Benzema was onside when Kaká played his through ball to him, but nevertheless, that was why Florentino Pérez sought out these world-class players: for this kind of ingenuity and flair.
No sooner than four minutes later did Depor expose Real Madrid’s defense with a training ground free kick routine.&nbsp; Depor caught Madrid sleeping, and Riki headed home the equalizer.&nbsp; Madrid gave both Riki and Alberto Lopo an ample amount of space, and Riki ended up scoring, but to have two players so open from a relatively short free kick was inexcusable.
Real Madrid scored five minutes later on a penalty by Cristiano Ronaldo.&nbsp; Lass made another decisive pass into the box for Raúl, and Aranzubía felled Raúl whilst trying to take the ball off his foot.&nbsp; Ronaldo took the penalty with his famous stutter step and beat Aranzubía to retake the lead 2-1. &nbsp;Ronaldo then showed his panache a minute later when he did a series of step-overs, breezed by the defender, and crossed a beautiful ball to Raúl in the box.&nbsp; Unfortunately, for Real, Raúl’s shot went straight into Aranzubía’s stomach, but Ronaldo’s individual brilliance lit up the Bernabéu yet again.
The combination of Lass and Xabi Alonso controlled the midfield, akin to their rivals Andrés Iniesta and Xavi Hernández at Barcelona, and they were able to keep possession and take possession back whenever Madrid lost the ball.&nbsp; These two hold the key to unlocking opposing defenses; if they dictate the middle of the park, the front line will be able to be free to set up their one-two’s and other intricate positions.
The Real Madrid defense was caught ball watching in the first minute of the second half.&nbsp; Andrés Guardado worked the left flank and crossed to Juan Carlos Valerón, where he had the ability to control the cross, take the shot, and score from the top of the penalty box.&nbsp; No one was close enough to Valerón, and even when Ezequiel Garay attempted to close down Valerón’s shot, it was only in vain as Valerón blasted his shot passed a frozen Iker Casillas.&nbsp; Garay and Raúl Albiol did not have the chemistry required for a central defensive pair, and that was the kind of situation where Madrid missed the calm and positioning of Pepe.
Real almost gave up a third goal in the 57th minute when Guardado again paced down the left wing and sent a heavenly ball to Valerón.&nbsp; Valerón sliced through the center of the defense again but inexplicably sent his shot wide of the post.&nbsp; Casillas had no chance, and from the six-yard box, it was harder to miss than to score, but somehow, Valerón managed to do so.&nbsp; Depor paid for their missed golden chance when Lass scored three minutes later from just outside the “D”.
The final was 3-2 in favor of Real Madrid, and each of the new players had their distinct moments of skill.&nbsp; Their defense needs major improvement, and maybe when Pepe and Sergio Ramos return, these defensive gaffes will not occur as often.&nbsp; The statistics suggest that Madrid dominated the match with 59% of the possession, twenty-eight shots with eleven on goal, and ten corner kicks to Depor’s three.&nbsp; When watching the match, there was always a feeling that Deportivo La Coruña could get a draw or even win.
Real is definitely still a work in progress, and it will take more than one match to develop the chemistry needed to gel as a unit.&nbsp; Offense was not the problem last year, and they will likely surpass the eighty-three goals they scored in the prior season; however, they cannot expect to outscore teams on every occasion.&nbsp; Benzema, Ronaldo, Kaká, Xabi Alonso, et al. will not be the problems.&nbsp; If the back line continues to leak goals as if it were the Exxon Valdez, Real Madrid will not win La Liga or any other competition this campaign.

First Impressions of Real Madrid and the Second Galacticos Era - World Soccer Talk

First Impressions of Real Madrid and the Second Galacticos Era

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