On the eve of yet another international break, Madrid sent a message throughout Spain: we can finish, and, when we do, the results will be devastating to opponents. Los Blancos’ bagged six Sunday night, albeit against a struggling Deportivo side, finally leveraging their dominant possession into a definitive score-line. An adjustment period to a new manager was expected, and is by no means over; however, it was not the tactics that Madrid seemed to be struggling with but finding the back of the net. Stat-lines would have one wondering how a team could be so in control, have so many attempts on net but then draw or barely beat newly promoted squads. Mourinho’s star-studded squad will enter the fortnight of international play with a renewed sense of confidence, which, if parlayed into their return to the domestic pitch, could have the capital side giants poised to be on of the most dangerous teams in Europe.

Three goals on either side of the half would be more than enough to dispel only the second goal Madrid’s defence has conceded through eight competitive matches. Madrid compromised more possession than some previous matches; however, their superiority was evident in much more than just the score-line. Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring in the first four minutes, driving home a corner with a powerful header to set the tone for the remainder of the game. The Portugal star would seal his double in the waning minutes of the match, emphasizing Madrid’s dominance.

Recently maligned striker Gonzalo Higuain played an uncharacteristically unselfish game, assisting on two of Madrid’s six goals. The latter assist was the penultimate touch in a fantastic string of events, owing its creativity to spectacular vision from Xabi Alonso; guided home from the head of Angel di Maria, the brilliant ball from Alonso set the Argentine striker free, crossing perfectly to the head of his compatriot for an excellent finish. Mesut Ozil scored his first for Los Blancos as Mourinho’s side, who had scored only nine in the previous seven matches, nearly matched their season total in 90 minutes against the struggling Galicians.

Ronaldo's brace led Madrid rout over bottom-dwelling Deportivo ©GettyImages

The influx of World Cup standouts along side ‘The Special One’ raised already high expectations at the Bernabeu at the start of the season. Standards the Portuguese coach has been quick to quell early on, emphasizing that the team is still a work-in-progress; nevertheless, Sunday night, they showed the world the ability of their impending quality. With just under a sixth of the season in the past, Los Blancos' have been able to drive results from sub-par performances, enabling them still to find themselves amongst in the top three in the league (not to mention a point ahead of an atypically inconsistent Barcelona).

Madrid return to the pitch the weekend after next against a Malaga side who saw the capital side’s title dreams dashed via a lackluster draw in the final day of last season. The stars of the Benabeu will look to maintain their newfound quality as they head off to play for their respective countries, knowing a date with AC Milan only days after returning to their club could very easily define the early stages of their Champions League campaign.