Real Madrid- Osasuna Immediate Reaction

1. The scoreline is a bit misleading

Ronaldo’s 6th minute goal - which may have been offside - put Real madrid in the driver’s seat early, but Osasuna really battled today. Madrid were lucky not to see the scoreline leveled as Osasuna rattled the crossbar in the 39th minute, but they made no mistake in quickly capitalizing on that mistake, with Danilo and Sergio Ramos adding two goals before the half.

2. Zidane is willing to experiment with his Starting XI

Zinedine Zidane again showed his commitment to making the most of his immense squad depth, opting to start the match with an attacking midfield trio of Kroos-Modric-Kovačić. Without Casemiro, Madrid sacrificed some defensive stability, as evidenced by the openness of the game, but on the whole Zidane’s decision was rewarded.

3. The team is starting to come together

Even with Osasuna grabbing a couple late goals, Real Madrid were dominant over the 90 minutes and looked comfortable and fluid in possession. Although the task at hand did not require Zidane’s men to get out of third gear, the team played inspired attacking football and is showing much promise as the season begins to ramp up. It will be exciting to see how Madrid shape up as the season’s fixture list grows increasingly challenging.

4. There will be tons of competition at every position this season

With Zidane’s aforementioned commitment to maximizing the depth of his squad, it seems that this season will feature heavy competition for positions on the field. The performance of non-regulars today, namely Mateo Kovačić and Danilo, who were both confident and strong on the front foot indicates that motivation is strong across the squad this year. As such, look for fringe starters to continue making strong challenges whenever given a chance to shine, increasing the overall level of the squad.