Real Madrid vs. Villarreal: 5 Things We Learned About Jose Mourinho's Team

Catch your breath and still your beating heart.

That's more than Real Madrid allowed Villarreal to do in an impressive 3-0 La Liga win Wednesday night at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Twelve minutes into the contest, it was no longer that. Riding a blistering attack based on a daring, perfectly executed 3-4-3 formation, Real Madrid tore apart Villarreal for two goals before the match was a quarter of an hour old.

After that, the match served as a glorified training session.

Real stroked the ball through the midfield, toyed with Villarreal's defense and even decided to score another goal 15 minutes before halftime.

Everything went right, except that Cristiano Ronaldo didn't record his 100th goal for Real but no matter.

With the way Real and Ronaldo are playing now, the century mark can't be far away.

Five key points to take away from the Villarreal match help prove that some silverware must surely be on its way to the Bernabeu.

Real Are Developing Their Own Mystique

Everyone knows about the Barcelona mystique.

Hailed as the best club in the world—and possibly of all time—Barca mowed down opponents last season with an unstoppable passing-and-possession game on their way to the European and Spanish titles.

The Catalans became so good that they developed an aura of greatness, a mystique that bred intimidation.

Now, Real Madrid are creating their own mystique. And they're building it with some similarly gorgeous football.

Real put its product on display for the opening 15 minutes, when Real sliced up Villarreal's defense with precision passing, plenty of possession, direct attacks and well-orchestrated set pieces.

Then, just as quickly as they tore through the pitch, they packed up the shop window and coasted to the result.

But during those glorious 15 minutes, they looked simply unstoppable.

Sergio Ramos had goal ruled out in the third minute. Karim Benzema barely missed chance from open play moments later.

Real camped out in the Villarreal half for those opening 15 minutes—and, in truth, for much of the match—and when a goal came in the fifth minute (through Benzema), it seemed like an inevitability finally realized.

But for all of Real's possession and passing, the goal was the result of some strangely direct play. A long pass from midfield (later revealed to be more than 47 meters) tore apart the Villarreal defense.

Only one touch was needed, and Benzema was happy to oblige.

Ronaldo (a long-range effort) and Kaká (after some nice team-based buildup) and Benzema (with a header from an outstanding outside-of-the-boot cross by Ronaldo) all nearly scored over the next few moments in what was a blistering, breathtaking start for Real.

Kaká finally made it two in the 11th minute, and that was that.

Real needed 11 minutes to dismantle a team that qualified for this term's Champions League. And they did it with some glorious football that would make their biggest rivals proud—or green with envy.

This Squad Is Deep, Especially in the Attack

Real's three goals added to what's been a strong offensive start to the season.

With 28 goals coming into game, Real boasted perhaps the deepest, most dangerous attack in Spain. Two goalscorers, Cristiano Ronaldo (10) and Gonzalo Higuaín (9) entered the match with more goals than the entire Villarreal squad (seven goals in eight games).

Wednesday's result continued the trend, even though Real left some of its most potent attackers on the bench.

None of these three started: Higuain, Mesut Özil, Hamit Altintop. But the players who were out there on the pitch made Villarreal look silly, lost, scared and amateurish throughout the opening 15 minutes.

The pace was incredible. The ball could be in the Real Madrid box one second and then on foot of a Real attacker in the Villarreal box 10 seconds later.

My Spanish is about as good as Peggy Hill's, but as I listened to a Spanish-language feed, I recognized and appreciated the one word that kept coming up to describe Real's attack Wednesday night.

Rapidamente.

Real's Tactics Were Excellent

Real played a funky 3-4-3 formation with Xabi Alonso in a defensive midfield role. Sami Khedira also helped anchor a midfield that supported Real's plentiful attackers.

It worked.

Heck, that's an understatement. It thrived.

Defenders flowed in and out of midfield seamlessly. Midfielders flowed in and out of the defense and attack, also seamlessly. Attackers interchanged, weaved and worked their magic, again seamlessly.

The formation almost worked as a single unit, flowing up and down the pitch through its midsection. Real didn’t seem too worried about Villarreal stretching play out on wings, nor did they have to.

Real controlled every aspect of the match not only because the players were superior, but also because of Jose Mourinho's superior tactics.

Don't Forget the Defense

Villarreal has been, admittedly, poor all season.

But Real's defense made the visitors look even worse than they had before.

Sergio Ramos remained in control throughout the game, bossing opposing attackers in the middle of the park with confidence and skill.

Marcelo and Pepe kept their workplace clean, making sure Villarreal had few chances all night.

In fact, Villarreal's best chance didn't come until the 82nd minute. Mario Gaspar drove a fierce shot toward Iker Casillas' goal, but Casillas easily saved the shot, which appeared to be going wide anyway.

Villarreal didn't threaten often otherwise.

The Next El Clásico Should Be Just That

Mark your calendar.

The next El Clásico is scheduled for Dec. 11 at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The match should play out as a reflection of its nickname.

Real and Barca are perhaps the top two sides in Europe, right now.

Their next match might prove epic.