RealMadrid showed at Celtic Park that their players are more than fit for this first leg of the 2022/23 campaign.

Los Blancos were hailed at the start of the season when they annihilated their opponents in the second half with a physical display and a speed that no one can stop. It is a fact.

But you can’t just win by being fresher than your opponent. Talent must win too. that’s how RealMadrid won the last Champions League. Splashes in the end, but also the ability to play with restraint and patience, with productive minutes on the ball. Suffice it to recall, for example, the first half at Stamford Bridge.

in Glasgow RealMadrid opened the scoring with a goal, which was preceded by a beautiful move, in which up to 22 passes were exchanged and which ended in a beautiful difference between Valverde as well as Eden Hazardincluding a heel strike, and an accurate pass from the Uruguayan midfielder to Vinicius the Youngerwhich is scored in clinical fashion. But, if the first goal was a collective move of many carats, then the third became a work of art.

Up to 33 passes have been traded Carlo Anchelottiwards without an opponent sniff the ball, combining almost in the opponent’s penalty area to the rear, starting again, playing from one flank to the other, until Toni Kroos went ahead and Daniel Carvajal served on a plate danger. According to Opta, this is the cream’s longest streak in the Champions League since at least the 2003/04 season.

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It was two goals that showed off the technical prowess of the European champions, both coming from the right wing, which they used more than ever at Celtic Park.

It was probably no coincidence. Benzemaweight in RealMadrid so good that his early absence from the game turned Madrid’s game on its head. Karim tends to move down the left flank, linking up with Vinicius.

Without French and with came more cautious than usual, the game began to lean to the right.

Therefore, it is not surprising that 45% of the attacks came from the right flank, and 35% from the left.

For comparison, this is the first game since the start of La Liga Santander in which RealMadrid had more offensive presence on the right flank than on the left.

Against almeria, 53 percent of their attack was on the left flank and 22 percent on the right. and against Real Betis it was again staggering (50 percent vs. 23 percent).

last season, RealMadrid as a result, 43 percent of their attacks from the left flank compared to 33 percent from the right flank. Curiously, without Benzema the difference was not that big.

For example, in Clasico at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium, where the Frenchman was absent, AncelottiThe Russian team distributed their attacks on both flanks almost equally: 37% versus 38%.