Settled Madrid look to hit new heights following Ronaldo return

As Cristiano Ronaldo limped off in the early stages of the Euro 2016 final, many Real Madrid fans would have looked to the heavens and bemoaned their luck. However, just as Portugal went on to lift their first major trophy without their star man, Zinedine Zidane has been able to keep Los Blancos on course for their first La Liga title since 2012 while their club’s all-time leading goal scorer spent the opening two weeks on the treatment table. Three top-flight games, three top-flight wins.

Two stars who had differing tournament fortunes this summer, Luka Modric and Gareth Bale, have been key for a Real Madrid side who as a collective appear to be sacrificing ego and stand-out talent for maintaining a collective balance. The ex-Spurs duo have both been put under plenty of scrutiny in the years since making the switch to the Bernabeu, but are now helping to split and shoulder the responsibility that rests upon Ronaldo.

There are still the individual flashes of brilliance which shine through, with Bale and Modric scoring important goals and pulling the strings in midfield, but there is seemingly no need to panic when Zidane loses one of his top guns. While Barcelona dropped some early points in the league at home against Alaves, due to Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez not being risked from the off following a busy week of international football, the depth in Real Madrid’s squad offers reassurances.

Zidane has healthy and high-quality competition for every position in the team, to a point where they boast arguably one of the strongest squads in world football. Last season’s player of the season Keylor Navas has been sidelined for months, with Karim Benzema struggling with a hip problem too - but crises have been averted through a consciously manufactured team ethic. Even when the brilliant Marco Asensio is allowed a free role, this would be compensated for by the more reserved addition of Casemiro.

“I don’t feel like an undisputed starter, I feel like a player trying to help the group achieve their goals,” Casemiro told Marca in a recent interview.

“I enjoy sacrificing myself for my teammates because I know that with my effort, they are freed to create and score. My response to this opportunity is to give my life and soul for this shirt.”

A quiet transfer window, which has seen no big additions other than ex-players returning to the club either after loan deals ending or buy-back clauses being triggered, has allowed for Zidane to maintain a team identity and attitude that is refreshing.

Of course, there are still plenty of egos present in the Real Madrid dressing room, but no more have been added to the mix. This team is a competitive family. Even in the wake of winning the UEFA Super Cup against Sevilla, in the dressing room Jese was immediately called on FaceTime, to let the recent departure to Paris Saint-Germain enjoy the winning atmosphere that he himself had contributed to over the last couple of years.

Zidane’s treatment of James Rodriguez and Isco during the summer has been entirely fair and honest, with the Frenchman admitting that he doesn’t want to lose either player and then sticking to his word. The pair, while supremely talented, now lie in wait as the personification of the consequences of having a bad few games, or will try and act as catalysts off the bench when given the rare chance to impress.

Bale scored twice against Real Sociedad on the opening day of the season, with his pace and power compensating for Ronaldo’s absence, with Asensio also finding the back of the net with a brilliant chip as a direct replacement on the left for Los Blancos. The duo have racked up average WhoScored ratings of 8.08 and 6.98 so far in La Liga.

Alvaro Morata fired home a nerve-settling goal against Celta Vigo in a 2-1 victory, offering the breakthrough when Bale and Asensio couldn’t, before Ronaldo returned to the fold with a goal inside the opening seven minutes against Osasuna, as Real Madrid romped to a 5-2 win and an impressive first hour’s performance.

Real Madrid have offered 22.3 shots per game on average in the league so far this season, also offering the highest collective WhoScored rating as a team, only forcing Kiko Casilla to face around 9 shots per game defensively. Their attacking output has not been affected by Ronaldo and Benzema’s respective absences, nor from playing more pragmatic options when the occasion has called for Zidane to do so.

Ronaldo picking up an injury on one of the biggest international stages was one of the tragedies of the footballing year, but in his stead Real Madrid have shown that they have been able to navigate turbulent waters and set themselves up brilliantly for a second successful year under Zidane.

Modric looks to be playing the best football of his career in the middle of midfield, earning him an 8.38 WhoScored rating over two La Liga appearances, with Toni Kroos chipping in with one goal and two assists in three games. Bale has been registering five shots on goal per match this season, while Casemiro has been a reliable performer at the base of the midfield in his pair of outings.

Before the Osasuna match, we were offered a window into a Ronaldo-less world - the scary thing is that Real Madrid seemed able to compete and enjoy their football without him. So much so, that it was perhaps easy to forget or even contemplate playing down the Portugal international’s importance.

Without him, Los Blancos appeared to be a complete proposition, but his early strike against Osasuna, which kick-started a vibrant hour of football that bore five goals as fruit, acted a timely reminder of just how far this Real Madrid squad look capable of going with him back in the first-team fold.

Real Madrid have star quality in every area of the field and a world-class talent in Ronaldo, but this year’s La Liga campaign threatens to have the potential to be remembered for someone else’s contribution other than the man with the Ballon d’Or.

Have Real Madrid benefitted from what was a quiet summer at the Bernabeu? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below