Celta Vigo 1-3 Real Madrid : 5 talking points as Karim Benzema inspires crucial win | La Liga 2020-21

#3 Real Madrid's pressing pays dividends

Sergio Ramos was left out as a precaution

Zinedine Zidane caused quite the confusion with his lineup, with a formation that named Fede Valverde on the right wing as the Frenchman reverted to his favored 4-3-3. Sergio Ramos' absence perhaps ended the 3-5-2 experiment that worked so well against Atalanta, with Zidane opting to go with the familiar.

There was nothing familiar about the way Real Madrid pressed though, as their aged stalwarts rolled back the years and pressed with an intensity that Celta simply could not cope with in the opening half hour.

Fede Valverde's presence was pivotal in pressing from the front, with the Uruguayan's energy backed up by his fellow teammates. Perhaps this is what Zidane hopes to achieve with El Clasico on the horizon, especially with Barcelona's front three finding form.

An additional tactical tweak in Real Madrid's arsenal could very well allow them to defend their La Liga crown.

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#4 Toni Kroos shows another side of his game

Toni Kroos assisted both of Karim Benzema's goals

It's no surprise that Toni Kroos assisted two of Real Madrid's three goals today. What is a surprise is the manner of the assists, especially the second one.

11 - 11 of @realmadriden's last 19 goals assisted by players in all competitions have been thanks to Toni Kroos 🇩🇪 (7 assists - 2 vs Celta de Vigo) and Luka Modrić 🇭🇷 (4). Duet. pic.twitter.com/fpnqd05bKw

— OptaJose (@OptaJose) March 20, 2021

One can hardly blame Renato Tapia for thinking that Toni Kroos, of all people, wouldn't be haranguing him like a crazed bunny when he had the ball on the edge of the box. Yet that's exactly what Kroos did, nicking the ball off Tapia and setting it up for Benzema to score.

Kroos' first assist was more in line with what we have come to expect from the German, a lovely pass through a crowd of defenders to pick out Benzema. Yet if Zidane has managed to get his 31-year-old midfielder to perform with the energy of someone a decade younger, the rest of La Liga better watch out.

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#5 La Liga's title race will go down to the wire

Zinedine Zidane masterminded another Real Madrid victory

The pressure is firmly on Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid now, especially after the Rojiblancos limp defeat at the hands of Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League. Zinedine Zidane's Real Madrid always seem to come through when the going gets tough.

Having reduced the deficit to Atleti to just three points, Los Blancos have thrown down the gauntlet to their rivals. At least Barcelona have the benefit of being in form, but Atletico have no room left to stutter.

What once looked like a title race that had been dead and buried has now become a three-way contest. It's anyone's guess as to how it will turn out, but what we know for sure is that it will go down to the wire, especially with Real Madrid finding form at the right time. Again.