Zidane's rotations, brilliant Brazilians and a rested Ronaldo - Five reasons why Real Madrid won LaLiga

Check out the five reasons why Madrid became victorious in 2016/2017 season.
For the first time since 2012, Real Madrid are
champions of Spain.
Zinedine Zidane's men clinched the Liga title on
the final day with 2-0 over Malaga at La Rosaleda.
Madrid claimed the trophy despite taking just one
point from their two Clasico encounters with
Barcelona.
Here we look at five reasons why Los Blancos
emerged victorious in the title race.
Zidane making the most of his squad
Zidane has succeeded this season while doing
what had previously been considered unthinkable,
resting Ronaldo.
The Frenchman has played Ronaldo for just 2,544
minutes this season – compared to 3,183 in
2015-16, and the result has enabled the Portugal
superstar to perform when it matters most.
Meanwhile, Marco Asensio and Lucas Vazquez
have blossomed into key contributors.
The establishment of Isco as a first-team regular
has put the kibosh on talk of a move to pastures
new and, though Alvaro Morata remains a
reportedly frustrated figure at the club, the fact he
has still found the net 15 times in LaLiga this
season is testament to Zidane's ability to get the
make the most of his squad.
Crucial Casemiro and marvellous Marcelo
While Ronaldo is the headline maker in the vast
majority of Madrid games, their success this
campaign could not have been achieved without
the Brazilian duo of Casemiro and Marcelo.
Outstanding in last year's Champions League final
with Atletico Madrid, Casemiro has continued to
thrive under Zidane's tutelage, excelling at winning
the ball back and allowing Madrid's perhaps more
aesthetically pleasing midfielders like Toni Kroos
and Luka Modric to dictate play.
In the 40 games Madrid have played with Casemiro
in all competitions this season, they have a win
rate of 75.6 per cent, without him that drops to
66.7.
Marcelo's impact has been easier to identify to the
naked eye, the left-back leading Europe's top five
leagues in assists from defenders and providing
service that has been pivotal to Madrid's forward
line and Ronaldo in particular.
Barca's surprising stumbles
While Barca have hit a rich vein of form following
their thrilling 3-2 Clasico triumph at the Santiago
Bernabeu last month, stumbles have been
unusually frequent in Luis Enrique's final season in
charge.
The Catalans have been particularly vulnerable
away from home, losing to Celta Vigo, Deportivo La
Coruna and Malaga and drawing at Real Betis.
Barca's home defeat to Alaves in September was
certainly detrimental, as was a run of four draws in
six games in mid-season, which included a 1-1
stalemate with Madrid at Camp Nou, and those
slip-ups rendered what could have been a crucial
triumph in the capital immaterial.
The Diamond, Isco and crown jewel Ronaldo
What has been most surprising about Madrid's
form both domestically and in Europe is that they
have been able to maintain it despite missing their
other talisman, Wales international Gareth Bale, for
much of the campaign.
But they have adapted to his absence brilliantly,
with a switch to a 4-4-2 diamond enabling them to
suffocate teams in midfield. In that system Modric
and Kroos tuck in ahead of Casemiro, relying on
the full-backs to provide the width.
Further forward Isco has flourished as a roaming
attacking midfielder with 10 goals and
eight assists in the league, while Ronaldo's
transition to central striker has been a seamless
one.
The Portugal superstar has 25 league goals to his
name – with five of those coming in a run of tricky
fixtures against Valencia, Sevilla and Celta Vigo
that Madrid all won to move within a point of the
title.
64 straight games with a goal
It's a particularly vacuous cliche, but it is one that
rings true. If you don't score goals, you don't win
games.
Not scoring has not been a problem for Madrid and,
with or without Bale, they continue to prove
extremely difficult to stop.
Madrid finished the season having found the net in
64 consecutive games in all competitions.
Barca are similarly prolific, but the two games in
which they failed to score in the league – both
against Malaga – resulted in four dropped points
that would have seen the Blaugrana retain the title.