Sunday 22 October 2017 23:56, UK
Zinedine Zidane admitted Real Madrid were below their best despite the convincing 3-0 La Liga win over Eibar.
Paulo Oliveira's own goal put Real on course for a fourth successive league victory before finishes from Marco Asensio and substitute Marcelo sealed the three points at the Bernabeu.
The success leaves Zidane's men in third position, five points behind leaders Barcelona, and the Frenchman believes his side have room for improvement as they attempt to reduce the early-season deficit.
"3-0 is a good result," he said in quotes reported by Marca.
"We did well in defence and I come away with the feeling that it was not all perfect, but satisfactory. It was important to get the three points today.
"Perhaps the fluency was lacking. We can be better, with the ball we can be better. In the end we made a lot of changes and sometimes you have to realise you cannot do everything perfectly."
Champions Real made five alterations to their starting XI from the midweek Champions League draw with Tottenham, including dropping Marcelo, Toni Kroos and Karim Benzema to the bench.
While Germany international midfielder Kroos remained unused, Benzema and Marcelo came on to combine for the final goal.
Zidane played down the significance of leaving out Benzema at the start and said it was to give the striker - who has managed only one league goal so far this campaign - a break.
"[The rest] was planned," he said. "After the weeks he has had we decided to leave him on the bench. It does not mean anything that he was a substitute."
