La Liga 2016/17: Leganes 2-4 Real Madrid: 5 Talking Points

3. Real Madrid’s set pieces are working to perfection

Real Madrid have scored 22 goals from set-pieces this season. That is a fair bit more than any other La Liga team and goes to highlight – via the medium of tangible statistics – just how potent Los Blancos are in dead-ball situations.

Sergio Ramos, of course, is their main weapon during these routines – he is so good in fact that when asked what he’d gift his captain on his birthday, Toni Kroos answered with “A corner, he seems to like those” – but today others stepped up to the mark. Nacho was imperious in the opposition box, as was Alvaro Morata... and even though Kroos was rested for the match, James Rodriguez showed that there is enough quality in the squad to deliver a mean dead ball.

Many times break up the dominant La Liga side’s games by conceding fouls – no one does this better than Leganes – but so far this season, it has proved to be a costly tactic against Real Madrid.

For all the stick he is getting at the moment, Zinedine Zidane seems to be doing something right on the training grounds of Valdebebas, eh?