3 takeaways from Real Madrid’s 4-0 win against Shakhtar Donetsk

Real Madrid - Shakhtar Donetsk 4-0 Real Madrid strolled past Shakhtar Donetsk in their first Champions League match of the season. Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick, while Karim Benzema capitalized on a rare Andriy Pyatov mistake to add gloss to a routine win. Los Blancos have now scored fifteen goals in their last three matches and have conceded none. Cristiano Ronaldo once again led the team and continues to silence any remaining doubters. The victory, however, may have left coach Rafa Benítez with a bittersweet feeling, as Gareth Bale,...

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Review: Espanyol vs Real Madrid

Espanyol vs Real Madrid 0-6 Three things we learned: 1. Ronaldo's still got it Some talk in the past few weeks of a slump had entered the Madrid sphere with fans and critics alike wondering if Ronaldo's numbers will take a dip this season. Credit it to his drive or a poor Espanyol defense, but the #7 quieted that talk today with a masterclass in finishing. Five goals on seven shots with an assist to boot, not a bad way to get on track. Basically, Ronaldo did this. 2. The offense is varied, and this is very encouraging This goal by Benzema...

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Review: Real Madrid vs Real Betis

Real Madrid It did not take long for Benzema and James Rodríguez to prove that they deserve a starting spot in this Real Madrid squad. James scored twice, assisted Bale for Real's opening goal and Karim Benzema added one of his own to seal Real's comfortable 5-0 win. Still, Keylor Navas will share the spotlight with James after this one. The Costa Rican started the match which could've been his last for Real Madrid if Los Blancos finally...

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Real Madrid vs Real Betis Preview: Can Rafa fix Real's offensive problem?

Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid endured a disappointing 0-0 loss in week one of La Liga. The defense was solid throughout, although rather lucky to overcome a shocking deficit thanks to the lack of goal line technology in Spain. The real culprit for the team however was the offense, which continually wasted one major opportunity after another. It seems that the exercises that Rafa Benitez is imposing in training, in which players have to work on...

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Review: Sporting Gijon vs Real Madrid

Sporting Gijon vs Real Madrid Rafael Benitez oversaw a disappointing 0-0 draw at Sporting Gijon in the first competitive fixture of his reign as Real Madrid manager. The Spanish giants, who were without Karim Benzema due to a thigh injury, produced a somewhat disjointed performance in a match that was also the first since goalkeeper Iker Casillas' departure to Porto. Hosts Sporting defended impressively and frustrated their opponents, who for...

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Preview: Sporting Gijon vs Real Madrid

Real Madrid Real Madrid kick off their 2015-16 Liga campaign with a visit to newly-promoted Sporting Gijon on Sunday as last season's runners-up eye a winning start. It also the first chance for new Real coach Rafael Benitez to gauge the strength of his squad ahead of what promises to be another close-fought battle with Barcelona for domestic supremacy. Sporting Gijon Sporting Gijon This time last year, Sporting Gijon were preparing for...

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5 reasons Real Madrid will be stronger than last season

Jese - Bale Across the country in Barcelona, their great rivals clinched a historic treble. At home in the Spanish capital, they were consistently overcome by their neighbours, Atletico Madrid. In two league meetings, they were blunted by Valencia. And in Europe, their campaign was brought to a halt by Juventus.  For Real Madrid, a season that started so promisingly was derailed by an archenemy, fellow heavyweights and a re-emerging Spanish...

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Real Madrid 2015-2016 Preview: Attackers

Real Madrid BBC Since 2009, when Florentino Pérez recovered his position as president and bought Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, Real Madrid’s most remarkable feature has been its extraordinary firepower. Not for nothing, Los Blancos have been able to score more than a hundred league goals every season since the 2009-10. Last year, however, Carlo Ancelotti developed a game plan in which the midfielders took a more prominent role, and his...

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Real Madrid 2015/2016 Preview: Midfielders

Kroos - Modric In 2013-2014, Real Madrid had what many considered to be the world's best midfield. Xabi Alonso, despite his age, was still a strong defensive anchor while Angel Di Maria and Luka Modric were the most potent 1-2 box-to-box punch in the business. In 2014-2015, the style of play shifted but the quality was still unmatched as Toni Kroos provided a sense of unparalleled control while James Rodriguez showed that he was more than just...

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Real Madrid 2015/2016 Preview: Defenders

Sergio Ramos - Pepe Since the Pellegrini era there's been little turnover within Madrid's defense (especially so relative to the rest of the squad). Marcelo, Pepe, and Sergio Ramos have over 700 starts combined, most of which have come alongside one another. Real Madrid has found success in scooping up young, unpolished defenders and gradually phasing them into the first team (see: Marcelo, Varane, Ramos), and that practice continued with the...

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Real Madrid 2015/2016 Preview: Goalkeepers

Real Madrid Goal keepers For the first time in 15 years Iker Casillas is not in Real Madrid's squad. The legendary goalkeeper and Madrid decided to part ways and move on from the controversy around his last four or five years in the Spanish capital. Casillas' heir between Real's sticks will need to cope with a lot of pressure, and that's something neither Keylor Navas nor Kiko Casilla are used to. That's mainly why Los Blancos are still trying...

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