Deportivo La Coruña 2 – 6 Real Madrid: 3 Takeaways from the La Liga Match

A heavily rotated Real Madrid squad bounced back from their El Clásico loss with a convincing 6-2 win on the road against Deportivo de la Coruña. Alex McVey reviews the match with three key takeaways.

A Youthful B-Squad Produced an Exciting, but Imperfect Match

Looking to bounce back from a heartbreaking last-minute loss in El Clásico just three days ago, Real Madrid were in dire need to pick up all three points against 16^th place Deportivo de la Coruña. With the La Liga race as close as it is, Real Madrid need to pick up all the points they can.

So, it’s safe to say some heads were scratching in Madrid as Zinedine Zidane rolled out a heavily rotated lineup, fielding nine different players from those who played in El Clascio.

Not only was this squad composed largely of the fringe players in Madrid’s squad, it was also composed primarily of young players. The average age of Madrid’s starting XI in El Clásico this weekend: 28. Against Deportivo: 25.

If this youthful B-squad gave us a look at what is in store for Real Madrid’s future, then the future looks bright. For the most part, that is.

On the one hand, Madrid’s offensive attack was downright exquisite. Alvaro Morata spearheaded Madrid’s youthful attacking lineup, flanked by Lucas Vázquez and Marco Asensio, with James and Isco commanding the midfield behind him.

It took less than a minute for Real Madrid to land first-blood. They flew out of the gates, “Like greyhounds with rockets attached to sensitive areas,” according to Ray Hudson, as Isco found Morata for the game’s first goal.

They didn’t look back from there, as Madrid kept Deportivo pinned back into their own half for the vast majority of the match. The combinations in attack were excellent, especially between Isco, Asensio, and Rodriguez. Deportivo were dragged all over the pitch with sharp one-two passes and outrageous dribbling by Isco and Kovačič.

Madrid’s goals were scored by five different players (James twice, Morata, Vazqeuz, Isco, Casemiro). Three of Real’s players (Isco, Morata, Vázquez) picked up both a goal and an assist. These squad players were intense, full of energy, and entirely unselfish, constantly on the lookout to help the other players score.

However, despite utter dominance in the offensive third, Madrid was, yet again, totally incapable of keeping a clean sheet. Madrid’s defense was pulled way out of position on the first goal. Raphael Varane was caught ball-watching, attempting to double-up on the line rather than mark the open Andone posted up in front of Madrid’s goal.

For the second, Casemiro sloppily gave the ball away, as Real Madrid’s defensive structure promptly imploded on itself, leaving former Madrid player Joselu open in the box for an admittedly excellent header into the back of Kiko Casilla’s net.