Analysis of Marco Asensio's performance in Real Madrid's 2-1 win at Alaves

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  • Dani Ceballos fired a LaLiga debut double to ease pressure on boss Zinedine Zidane as Real Madrid edged out Alaves 2-1.

    Former Betis midfielder Ceballos capped his league debut for Real with a smart first-half brace that set Zidane’s men back to winning ways.

    At Mendizorroza, Ceballos set any moans aside to put Real back on track in their title defence, despite Manu Garcia’s fierce headed equaliser and substitute Alfonso Pedraza twice hitting the post for the hosts.

    Real’s victory ensured Zidane’s men cannot lose any further ground on Barcelona, who could still restore their seven-point advantage over their great rivals with a win at Girona on Saturday night.

    Here, we focus on star man Marco Asensio’s performance.

    BASIC STATS

    Goals – 0

    Assists – 1

    Shots 2

    Shots on target – 0

    Pass Accuracy – 93.2%

    Touches – 72

    Passes – 62

    Key passes – 3

    Dribbles – 0

    Dispossessed – 1

    Aerials won – 0

    EFFECTIVENESS

    A mixed display from Asensio.

    He looked sharp in the first half, always opting for the easy pass without complicating matters and running into a sea of defenders.

    He was a consistent option on the counter and linked up with Cristiano Ronaldo and Dani Ceballos effectively, providing the assist for the latter’s first goal after 10 minutes.

    The Spaniard was also more than useful with his link-up play, setting up Lucas Vazquez for a chance with a neat pass in the first half and ending the match with three key passes.

    Although he produced a solid first half performance, he was anonymous after the break and didn’t make much of a contribution as Real Madrid went in search of a killer third goal.

    Despite his inconsistent display, his class is still evident and it will be difficult for Zidane to keep him out of his starting line-up as the season progresses.

    KEY MOMENTS

    10th minute (ASSIST): Real took the lead through Ceballos after a stunning cutback on the edge of the box from Asensio.

    25th minute: Lucas Vazquez should have doubled Real’s advantage but he fires his effort over the bar after Asensio slipped a cleverly weighed ball into his path.

    27th minute: Ceballos uses his strength to win a corner which Asensio delivers to the near post but Ronaldo blazes over the bar.

    90th minute: As Real pushed for a third goal, Ronaldo flicked the ball on to Asensio who shot wide from the edge of the box.

    VERDICT

    He didn’t have much of an influence on the game for large periods but didn’t disappoint when he was in possession.

    Still needs to work on getting more involved in the game, especially if Zidane is to opt with his services ahead of Bale in the starting 11.

    7/10

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