Real Madrid vs Espanyol: 5 Talking points

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.