Times are changing at Real Madrid, but certain characters are having trouble adjusting to the new status quo. After a difficult week that brought defeats by both Girona and Tottenham, Las Palmas arrived at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu with the task of denying a stung los Blancos the opportunity to pull themselves together.
Second-half goals from Marco Asensio and Isco ensured a resurgence of sorts took place in the Spanish capital, but despite a 3-0 win that should have brought renewed unity, there were evidently deeper problems on show. The current situation is a far cry from last season, where seemingly no amount of changes from Zinedine Zidane could derail Madrid’s one-way ticket to two major trophies.
The 2016/17 campaign gave a window into a Cristiano Ronaldo-less future, with untimely injuries to the Portuguese star enabling him to return to fitness during a key period and then be carefully safeguarded with the future in mind. A new position was handed his way - that of a No.9 - and this saw his role as Madrid's go-to driving force revoked.
It was the clearest example of a changing of the guard at los Blancos in recent memory, but the decision was made through necessity. Ronaldo’s fitness was a big question mark, meaning Zidane had to build his plans around an in-form Isco and rejig his midfield balance. The Spaniard’s rise to prominence was unquestionable, and he continued to produce as Madrid’s creative heartbeat. Ronaldo had the summer to regain his fitness, but the sporting landscape has not changed since that key alteration.
This weekend illustrated a reality that Ronaldo is perhaps not yet comfortable with - Madrid do not rely on him most anymore. After a second-half burst down the right-hand side enabled him to whip in a fantastic cross for Isco to finish at the back post and make it 3-0, there was no celebration from the goal’s creator. He welcomed a few high-fives after deciding not to run over to the scorer, but there was no look of relief that Madrid had taken three points on a vital night in their season of troubles. Instead, in its place, there was an element of distaste within his expression, one which implied that no night could be a joyous one until his own individual aims were hit.
Zidane had changed the shape of his side in the wake of their 3-1 humbling by Spurs, with Ronaldo initially having liberty to position himself on the left-hand side of the attack. Rapidly, as the contest developed, he took up his position as a second striker alongside Karim Benzema and with it handed over his license to be the game’s key spark.
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As Madrid grew increasingly desperate, Marcelo and Nacho assumed average positions of wingers, with hopeful balls into the opposition penalty area the hallmark of los Blancos’ creative woes. It presented an opportunity for Madrid to bang their heads up against a wall, with Pako Ayestaran’s decision to deploy three central defenders frustrating the hosts’ direct game plan further. Benzema and Ronaldo battled for every last scrap of service, but a clean bit of contact with a dropping or loose ball was not forthcoming.
Instead, it was left to Isco and Asensio to try and offer other possibilities. Against Las Palmas’ deep back five and reserved midfield three, their creativity and ability to drive in possession provided a fresher edge to Madrid’s play. Zidane gave the duo the license to flit into pockets of space wherever they saw fit, and it is this element of trust which shows that times could be changing at the Santiago Bernabeu.
After a disastrous week that shook Zidane’s job security, winning will no longer be enough at Madrid. They have retained Champions League trophies and are La Liga’s reigning champions, but the manner of their midweek defeat by Spurs widened the cracks. Not only do los Blancos need to turn their form around, but they must do it in a manner that impresses their notoriously fussy home crowd. Three points are important, yet somehow incomplete without a performance with personality.
Isco and Asensio are currently adding the required embellishments to a decidedly flat and predictable Madrid side. Constantly advancing wing-backs are almost as predictable as Benzema and Ronaldo’s tendency to hover in the penalty area and await their service. The era of the ‘BBC’ is no more, and Zidane slowly appears to be on the road to becoming at peace with such a loss.
The reality of the situation may not pander to some of the egos in the Madrid dressing room, but it is time for others to step up in the BBC’s absence. Both Isco and Asensio have been doing just that, laying the foundation blocks for a more inventive future. There can be no waiting around for the past to reanimate. Instead, los Blancos must press ahead with what works - and for now the Spanish duo is exactly that.
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