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​Julen Lopetegui Hails Real's Start to Life Without Ronaldo But Remains Cagey Over Goalkeeper Fight

Julen Lopetegui hailed Real Madrid's collectiveness as they continued to adjust to life without Cristiano Ronaldo with a 4-1 win at Girona on Sunday night.  Two

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​Julen Lopetegui Hails Real's Start to Life Without Ronaldo But Remains Cagey Over Goalkeeper Fight
​Julen Lopetegui Hails Real's Start to Life Without Ronaldo But Remains Cagey Over Goalkeeper Fight /

Julen Lopetegui hailed Real Madrid's collectiveness as they continued to adjust to life without Cristiano Ronaldo with a 4-1 win at Girona on Sunday night. 

Two penalties from Sergio Ramos and Karim Benzema, as well as a well taken breakaway goal from Gareth Bale, put the game out of the Catalonians' reach before the French striker added extra emphasis to the scoreline shortly before the end. 

And whereas Ronaldo often grabbed the headlines for Los Blancos on such occasions in the past, the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu coach highlighted the importance to Movistar, as quoted by ESPN, post-match of his player's willingness to share the limelight so far this season. 

"The team is the one that works, and when it works, the goals come in the form of Gareth, Karim or Sergio," Lopetegui said. "The important thing is that they arrive, not who gets them, the team has made collective sense.

"I emphasise the mentality of the team. The match was difficult. In a hard moment of the game, we have shown we know how to play."

Keylor Navas again retained the starting jersey despite the high-profile signing of Thibaut Courtois earlier this summer, but Lopetegui continued to give no indication that the first XI spot belonged solely to the Costa Rican. 

"We will see how the goalkeeper rotation evolves," said the coach. "I have three excellent goalkeepers, and we see it as good solutions. 

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"Today Keylor has done very well, and we will see what happens in the future. I have things in my head about goalkeepers, but I'm going to say nothing."

Both Luka Modric and Raphael Varane were limited to spots on the substitutes' bench as speculation surrounding their future remains persistent, although Lopetegui indicated some of his players are still getting back up to speed following a hectic summer. 

"Varane and Modric will train little by little in the team. We have alternatives and competition, and that's good for the team," he added.

Real Madrid's second consecutive win marks only the seventh occasion in the past 19 years where they have taken maximum points from the opening couple of outings. But despite the emphatic scoreline, there is still much to be improved in the Spanish capital this term.  

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