Thursday 27 April 2017 00:32, UK
Zinedine Zidane insists Real Madrid have no 'A' and 'B' team, despite making nine changes from his Clasico side to face Deportivo.
Cristiano Ronaldo was left out of the squad entirely despite Real needing to win to remain level on points with Barcelona at the op of La Liga having lost 3-2 to their rivals last weekend.
Karim Benzema, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric were all rested, while Gareth Bale and Sergio Ramos were unavailable for selection, but Real once again ran out comfortable winners in the absence of the BBC as the likes of Isco, Alvaro Morata and Marco Asensio shone in a 6-2 win at the Riazor stadium.
After recording their third successive away win without the World Player of the Year, Ronaldo, Zidane insisted he was not fielding a second XI.
"For me there is not the A team and the B team," he said. "We are all together in the same boat.
"The others, those who play a lot, play well too. It's not that they do badly."
Isco was at the centre of Real's attacking potency against Deportivo, scoring his eighth goal of the calendar year in the Spanish top flight - more than any other midfielder.
Bale's inclusion in the Real Madrid side to face Barcelona was called into question following the Welsh international's injury against Bayern Munich just 11 days before, along with the form of Isco.
"These are players who do not always play, and what they did today was phenomenal, in the rhythm, the seriousness right from start," said Zidane following Real's win over Deportivo, which means they are guaranteed to be crowned champions if they win each of their remaining five games.
"Isco was phenomenal. He does things on the pitch that not everybody can. The [Depor] fans congratulated him, I am happy for him.
"They showed they want to play. That is the difficulty I have, to tell someone who played like that they cannot play the next game.
"I have a phenomenal group and they are all ready for the end of the season. We have just finals left to play now."
