James Rodriguez and Marco Asensio Productivity Will Be Real Madrid Winter Bonus

Real Madrid cruised to a 5-1 win in the UEFA Champions League against Legia Warsaw on Tuesday night, remaining top of Group F in the process thanks to their head-to-head record with Borussia Dortmund.

The result turned out to be a straight-forward one for Madrid despite a few scares along the way, notably once Legia had reduced the deficit to 2-1. However, the superiority of Los Blancos was largely evident throughout and the scoreline would be no less than had been expected by Zinedine Zidane and Co in private.

In what was Madrid's 400th game in the European Cup/Champions League, the biggest plus point of all was perhaps the form and contribution of Marco Asensio and James Rodriguez, the two starting offensive players in the centre of midfield. And it is their form and productivity that might also be the biggest bonus for Zidane's squad heading into the winter.

Arrangement

In what could be described as a gung-ho lineup, Zidane clearly trusted his side to overwhelm Legia with an offensive armoury that is the envy of most around Europe, which is how it ultimately played out.

The 4-3-3 system was back after 4-2-3-1 proved effective at the weekend, which meant Isco was returned to his bench spot—and James and Asensio were the pairing in the centre ahead of Toni Kroos, again the holding midfielder.

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With the BBC attack again given an opportunity to regain confidence and cohesion—Gareth Bale did reasonably well, Cristiano Ronaldo had a frustrating evening though he was heavily involved, Karim Benzema was quiet throughout and disappointed once more—it was an attack-at-will mentality from the entire team.

Legia won't be surprised at losing in the manner they did, but rather than simply the names on the park being the defining factor, it was how Los Blancos utilised the space in the middle third to their advantage which was the most important aspect; perhaps the most pleasing for Zidane.

Going forward

Kroos sat—often between his centre-backs who were pushed high upfield—which left James and Asensio to roam, instigate play and find space between the lines. That they did with regularity and impressive mobility to set the front three away continuously.

While the Colombian was not frequently in place to be at the end of Real Madrid's attacking moves, he was important to the buildup phase; always available to receive possession, turn and launch the next offensive move.

He played intelligently, if within himself at times, and was always ready to be the link man in Madrid's transitions. He was possibly aware—or had been told by the coaches—that Asensio's youth and inexperience might see the Spaniard surge forward more often, meaning James would need to rein in his movement somewhat.

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Asensio was definitely keen to get forward at every possibility, and he made an impact in doing so.

Having made such a statement of his abilities in the early part of the campaign, recent weeks have been a frustration for the young international.

Per Marca, the 20-year-old acknowledged he needed to be patient for his next chances.

"There are many world-class players who have been at Real Madrid for a long time, so I have to be patient and make the most of the opportunities I'm given," Asensio said in his post-match comments. "It's new for me to not play as much, but the coach spoke to me and told me to be calm."

Naturally, it was his goal that caught the eye the most, but rather than the finish, it was Asensio's movement that spoke volumes not only of his own ability but of how Madrid's midfielders continually got the better of a packed Legia defence.

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James did the same at times without seeing the ball fall his way, while Asensio also managed to get into similar positions and lay on chances for his team-mates.

Neither player figures in the squad's top 10 by minutes played this season, yet they total five goals and four assists between them in 919 combined minutes.

Defend to attack

With such a forward-thinking team in place, it was always likely that Legia would be able to catch Madrid out defensively at times, and they did, but it was also notable that the midfield trio worked hard in their own half to limit those occasions.

Both Asensio and James tracked back, kept their shape in front of the defence and were happy to close down the Polish side at the right moment. More than once it was the Colombia international who cleared the ball from next to his own corner flag or chased back to close down a cross from beside it.

From higher upfield, he served a more effective function, though, instigating a press to launch repeated counter-attacks and exploit space when Legia committed their own players forward.

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Asensio did the same when possible, to less effect admittedly and less aggressively than the Colombian. But having moved from the attacking midfield line to the centre of the park this term on occasion, it's still a new responsibility for the Spain international to get to grips with.

Alteration

After the improved showing from Isco at the weekend against Real Betis, it was important for their own prospects that both Asensio and James put in good shifts.

Moreover, they showed that they are serious options to play in that middle three; Isco has played there, but he's clearly not as defensively inclined and is so easily bypassed when the tide is against Madrid that the natural inclination for Zidane must be to only include him in the attacking line or as a 10.

For Asensio, the trust shown in him went one step further on Tuesday. Zidane switched to a 4-4-2 variation for the final half-hour and left the Spaniard in the centre with Kroos. There, he showed his real capability to find and exploit spaces between the lines and kept Madrid on the offensive with an additional attacking option in the final third.

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Against better opponents, it's debatable whether Asensio would be seen as a central midfielder in a double pivot, as he still tended to err on the attacking side with his positioning. But the experience and being able to watch back his movement compared to the opposition will have been extremely worthwhile for him.

James, of course, has already excelled on the sides of a four-man midfield in previous seasons and can provide a huge goal threat from the role.

The BBC looks firmly in place once more regardless of form, and Kroos, Luka Modric and Casemiro are all but guaranteed to start when they are fit.

Over the last few weeks, though—and again on Tuesday—James and Asensio showed that they have lots to offer in terms of productivity and finding the route to goal that the team needs from others, especially in the wake of a slump up top.

In the coming weeks and months, they will prove vital to Los Blancos keeping pace in all competitions.