3 things we learned from Real Madrid’s sleepwalk 3-0 win over Almería

This weekend, Barcelona face a very bad Cordoba team. Their mid-week game against Getafe was their real challenge this week, and they treated it accordingly, playing just about their best team and crushing the Madrid side. Real Madrid face a very good Sevilla team this weekend, and appeared to care very little about the game they actually had to play on Wednesday. They won 3-0 anyway, because Almería are pretty bad.

Basically nothing happened for the first 44 minutes, and then James Rodriguez struck. He hit an absolute stunner of a jumping volley from 25 yards, smoking his shot past Ruben and giving Madrid a lead heading into halftime. Almería were so close to completing a solid first half, then James crushed them.

It took less than five minutes of play in the second half for Madrid to double their lead, with Mauro Dos Santos poking in his own goal on a cross intended for Cristiano Ronaldo. He would have tapped it in if Dos Santos hadn’t got to the ball first, and might have been a hair offside.

Alvaro Arbeloa was the unlikely scorer of the third goal, poking in an excellent diagonal from ‘Chicharito’ Javier Hernandez.

Notably, Martin Ødegaard was in the 18-man squad for this game, but did not make his debut.

Goals: James (44’), Dos Santos (OG 49’), Arbeloa (85’)

Goals: None.

1. Madrid were looking ahead to Sevilla - Los Merengues basically sleepwalked through this game. They knew they were going to score against Almeria eventually and didn’t look at all bothered by going the first 44 minutes without doing much. Besides Cristiano Ronaldo, of course. He always looks like he’s going to fight someone.

2. Illara and Jese look out of it, Chicharito doesn’t - All of Asier Illaramendi, Jese Rodriguez and Javier Hernandez are in similar places. They’re backups, here in case of injuries and home games against the likes of Almeria. Illara and Jese look like players who have been riding the bench all year, not sharp in the slightest. But Chicharito was active all game, looked fairly dangerous and set up the last goal. Even if he doesn’t stay at Madrid, he’s playing his way into an active market for his services.

3. James has Isco’s place when Bale comes back - Expect both Isco and James to start over the weekend, but when Gareth Bale gets fully fit, he’s going to get his spot back. James is in spectacular form, while Isco has faltered a bit after carrying Madrid through injury-riddled times, and didn’t do much after replacing James in this game. The Colombian’s place in the starting XI is safe.