3 takeaways from Real Madrid's 0-4 win over UD Melilla

Following the departures of Cristiano Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane, Real Madrid haven’t seemed to be the threatening side they were at the end of last season. Los Blancos were looking unstoppable as they conquered their third consecutive UEFA Champions League title in Kiev.

However, their celebrations were dented as Zinedine Zidane shockingly stepped down from his managerial post at the Bernabeu.

The fans were not completely over the loss of one of their greatest ever managers, when their highest ever goalscorer, Cristiano Ronaldo, moved to Juventus. Since then, Real Madrid has been on a downward spiral.

Some may argue it was the new manager Julen Lopetegui’s fault, while it can’t be ignored that Real Madrid has been missing Cristiano Ronaldo’s goals, as they have had some disastrous results in the past couple of months.

However, the inevitable has happened. Julen Lopetegui has been sacked after just 14 games in charge, as Los Blancos faced a humiliating 5-1 defeat against their arch-rivals, FC Barcelona.

Former player Santiago Solari has been appointed as the new Madrid boss. It’s not certain yet if he’ll be the new Zidane of the ailing Madrid side, or if he's just a temporary caretaker until a well-known tactician arrives.

Real Madrid faced third-tier side UD Melilla in the first round of Copa Del Rey. The match wasn’t supposed to be a competitive one, however it marked Solari's first match as the Real Madrid boss, and brought Los Blancos back to winning ways, evidently boosting their confidence.

The Spanish giants won with a comfortable margin of 0-4. Lets take a look at some key points from the game.

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#3 Alvaro Odriozola shines

It’s a delight to see him play so well

With 1 goal and 2 assists to his name, Alvaro Odriozola was the deserving man of the match. It's the right time for the Spaniard to take advantage of Carvajal’s absence, and prove himself under the new coach.

The 22-year-old is a highly talented right back, and would face tough completion from Achraf Hakimi, who’s currently on fire in the Bundesliga, for the right-back spot after Dani Carvajal.

Alvaro Odriozola starred in the match against Melilla. It’s a delight to see him play so well, acknowledging the fact that Dani Carvajal will be out for a couple of weeks due to an injury.

#2 Time to unleash Vinicius Junior

The next Real Madrid hero?

Another star of the match was Brazilian prodigy, Vinicius Junior. The 18-year-old winger was sidelined to play for the Real Madrid Castilla side. However, he has shown some extreme potential, and can be used frequently in LaLiga games.

The Brazilian provided 2 assists in his debut match for the Real Madrid first team. It is expected that under the new manager, Vinicius would be getting more minutes in the first team, and if proves worthy, he’ll be getting some important caps as well.

It’s too early to predict the Brazilian’s future. However, his recent performances for the Castilla side, and his debut performance for the first team suggests that the winger might prove to be a vital player for Real Madrid’s future. As for now, he must keep on performing well whenever he gets the chance.

#1 Santiago Solari has started well

It remains to be seen how much time he has at the Bernabeu

It’s the first major side Solari has been chosen to handle, however in his first match in charge, he has not disappointed, both with his lineup as well as tactics.

With a good mix of both young and veteran players from the squad, it looks like Solari is going to follow Zidane’s rotation policy, which might prove to be very useful in order to boost the confidence of the young players, along with resting the first team players.

Zidane was known for his calmness and good relationship with his players. That was one of the major reasons for his popularity amongst the fans and players. Similarly, Solari had himself been a player for Los Blancos. However, he’ll have to build relationships with the players in order to replicate Zidane’s success.

It remains to be seen how much time he has at the Bernabeu. Only time will tell if he’ll end up being a caretaker, or end up being the next Zinedine Zidane.