Pre-season looked extremely shaky for Real Madrid, to say the least. But the Galacticos rose to the occasion on their opening day of La Liga and made a statement. So here are three things we learned from that clash.

Down but not out

Real Madrid may be down based on their pre-season form but they are certainly not out. Zidane hasn't miraculously solved all of their issues in one game, of course, but there is life in this squad and when everything is said and done, they are still a formidable side in Spain.

And now that their biggest rivals, Barcelona, have stumbled on their first steps, leaving the top of the table for Real instead, maybe we're still in for a thrilling title race. But nonetheless, the challenge has only begun and while the first step is often a very important one, Zidane still has a long way ahead of him.

Check out an epic rant about Real Madrid fans that we can all relate to below...

Bale might have a role to play

Even though earlier this summer we were definitely under the impression that Gareth Bale is going through the exit door sooner rather than later, it appears that may well not be the case. Bale started the game against Celta Vigo on the weekend and helped his team cruise to a 3-1 victory with an important assist to his name.

Zidane also spoke highly of his player, saying he's an important piece of the team and practically confirming he's staying at the capital. It seems that either the two have solved their differences or the Frenchman has simply realised he's going to need all hands on deck if he's going to pull another trick out of his sleeve and lead Real Madrid to glory once again. Bale just might be a part of that trick after all.

If it ain't broke

Real Madrid played well in Vigo at the weekend but one thing that may have caught the attention of the more observant ones is the lineup itself. Zidane, maybe a bit unsurprisingly, decided to put his faith into the old guard and reverted back to the tactics that brought him three Champions League titles in a row.

Nine out of 11 players fielded on the opening day were all amongst Real Madrid's regulars last season. The only exceptions were Vinicius Junior and Alvaro Odriozola. Of course, that is also (mostly) the same squad Zidane used back when he was in charge. He had Cristiano Ronaldo in the team back then but the core of the squad remained unchanged and it brought a good result back home.

It still remains to be seen if Zidane is going to stay faithful to that lineup or if changes are on the horizon for the Galacticos despite a good start to the campaign.

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