Three takeaways from Real Madrid’s 4-1 win vs. Leganes
Real Madrid recorded another 4-1 win in La Liga in an impressive display against Leganes on Saturday. Here are three takeaways from the game
Another convincing win
Real Madrid is really beginning to purr under Julen Lopetegui. Over the last four games, we have seen Los Blancos slowly buying into what Lopetegui wants from his side and Saturday’s match was no different. For the first 20 minutes, Madrid completely dominated Leganes, breaking into the penalty box on at least three occasions. Unlike in previous matches, Asensio looked sharp from the opening whistle and Modric, fresh off winning UEFA best player award, seemed determined to make a good first impression to the new manager.
As the clock reached the 20-minute mark, Leganes had had 14% possession and hardly ventured out of their own half, an issue the visitors would suffer for the rest of the game. It is because of this pure dominance from the home side that makes the goal Madrid all the more annoying. In a sequence that looked like a clip out Real Madrid last season, the defence falls asleep during a Leganes throw in and allow the visitors to find a man in the box. Casemiro puts in a desperate tackle to clear the danger and gives away a penalty which is cooly slotted away.
According to Understat, that penalty accounted for 0.74 of Leganes’s 1 xG across 90 minutes, basically meaning that Leganes were expected to score 1 goal throughout the 90 minutes and that is mostly because they had a penalty. It’s very annoying, even this early in Lopetegui’s tenure, to see goals continue to be gifted to our opponents. There were reasonable explanations of why Madrid conceded the goals they did during the UEFA Supercup and against Girona, there is no excuse for conceding against Leganes on their first foray into the Madrid half.
With everything else quickly clicking into place for Lopetegui, it is vital that he ensures that Ramos and co. are switched on for 90 minutes every game. How he will do that when so many other managers have failed, remains to be seen.
BBA continue to find the net
It seems a long time ago since Madridistas were worrying where the goals were going to come from after Ronaldo’s departed to Juventus. The pessimists will have their excuses to worry, pointing out the quality of Los Blancos’s opponents, the fact we have had three penalties in the last two games etc. However, you can only beat what’s in front of you and these teams were the same teams Madrid was struggling to score against this time last season.
More encouraging than the score line is the individual form of our forwards. Karim Benzema is now just one goal away from matching his league tally from last season, Bale has now scored in his last seven league games and has made his most confident start to a league season in years. Asensio continues to steadily grow more consistent with every passing game and played out his best first half of the season so far while also continuing to look threatening in the second.
Firmer tests lie in wait after the international break, but it’s hard not to be pleased with where this team is going from an offensive standpoint.
Casemiro
Casemiro is one of the conundrums that Lopetegui is still yet to fully solve. The Brazilian is a fantastic asset to the team in defence, but often a nuisance when Madrid have the ball, particularly when Los Blancos’s opponents press well. Saturday’s game was a demonstration of all that is good about Casemiro.
Next. Match Recap Real Madrid 4-1 Leganes. dark
He was Madrid’s deepest midfielder for the whole game and rarely made forays further forward (when he did, Toni Kroos covered him). Thanks to a lack of pressure from Leganes, Casemiro was one of Madrid’s best performers on Saturday. He won the ball back constantly and his passing was respectable, meaning that he didn’t disrupt Madrid’s offensive flow at all throughout the game.
Its a step closer to find Casemiro’s place in this outfit for Lopetegui and though it might confuse some fans who feel it would be easier to drop Casemiro, it speaks of the Brazilan’s unique quality and the service he provides that Lopetegui is persisting with him.