The 39-year-old assistant boss witnessed los Blancos overcome a resilient Celta Vigo outfit but is concerned about the lack of chances they are creating in front of goal

Real Madrid assistant coach Aitor Karanka believes the team’s creative spark is not as bright as last season, despite overcoming a resolute Celta Vigo on Sunday.

The Liga giants emerged as 2-1 winners courtesy of a double from Cristiano Ronaldo, but the visitors were made to work hard for the victory when Iago Aspas equalised soon after Ronaldo had broken the deadlock midway through the second half.

And in his post-match press conference, speaking instead of coach Jose Mourinho, Karanka asserted Madrid had to take their chances to ensure victory because their opportunities to score were few and far between.

“The most important thing is to create chances. Last year, we had a lot, this year there are slow to come, but they will eventually come.

“The first 20 minutes saw us struggle to get into the match, we couldn’t find a way in, but in the last 15 minutes, we controlled the game a bit more. 

“We were able to finish the match, but the goals didn’t come. They also had chances and slowly created goal-scoring opportunities, and in the end, they could have equalised, which would have been a shame.”

The 39-year-old also commented on Celta’s chances of retaining their status in the top tier of Spanish football amid the serious threat of relegation with Paco Herrera’s side currently second from bottom in La Liga.

He added: “[Celta] have a lot of people in attendance and have good, quality players.  It’s hard to say whether they will be among the bottom three or not, but they are working hard.”