After months of jousting with Barcelona for the top spot and courtesy of the recent 1-0 win against Valladolid, Real Madrid has occupied the no.1 position in the La Liga. Ofcourse, the lead Real Madrid has over Barcelona is slim at best. The big question here is whether Los Blancos will maintain the lead till the very end of the season and lift their first La Liga in the post-Ronaldo era.
Dangerous Clashes:
As the season is still far from done, Real Madrid has some tough matches at hand. The next match is up against Atletico Madrid, the team that broke the Real Madrid-Barca exclusivity (in terms of La Liga titles) and definitely the opposite of easy opponents. Even though they have been underperforming this season, a Real Madrid victory is far from certain. Real Madrid will have to face Manchester City towards the end of February and while that is not a La Liga game, it’s effect on Real’s performance on the league could be huge. Manchester City is one of the deadliest clubs in the world, even when the performance is not upto par. There’s also the fatigue of that game to consider, and there are two legs. Combine that with the fact that Real has an El Clasico match right after the City game and it spells trouble. The same sort of trouble will rear it’s head in with the second leg as they will face Valencia right after, although if Real starts off strong against Man City, it could provide a huge confidence boost, along with a great amount of momentum that could help them sweep the rest of the games. There’s also the fact that Barcelona is no. 2 and as long they have Messi, there’s a huge chance that they will keep up a winning streak. Suffice it to say, Real Madrid will also need a consistent winning streak to be able to match up with that. And recent history indicates that Barcelona has the edge over Real Madrid in terms of consistency(last two La Liga seasons).
Players and Weaknesses:
Real Madrid has a lot of players right now, making some big buys in the last transfer season. Luckily for them, Bale was not transferred out of the club and has since proven himself to be integral to the club. Benzema seems to be in the form of his life with Dani Carvajal wreaking havoc along the right flank. There are problems too. Odriozola has been loaned out and there might be problems if Dani Carvajal has to sit out a game or two. Eden Hazard was an iconic buy to say the least but so far the buy has not exactly paid off, given that he has mostly sat out matches on account of injury. Marco Asensio has also been out as a result of a long term injury leaving a huge dent in the squad and Zidane’s penchant for rotations. On the bright side, Thibaut Courtois who suffered poor lapses in form in the last season has been a brilliant goal keeper so far, turing things around, tied with Oblak for the most clean sheets (with lesser games).
In Conclusion, while it is a huge sign of hope and positivity for Real Madrid fans, especially after a lackluster, it is far from a sure thing. There’s the tide of matches and the looming UCL and Copa Del Rey games. Real has to maintain a high level of consistency throughout the rest of the season. That being said, a lot of Real Madrid’s players have been doing really well this season. Even youngsters like Rodrygo and Vincius have shown a lot of potential. While the title is not certain, it’s definitely within the cards. If any club can maintain a level of consistency to rival Barca, it’s a Zidane-led Real Madrid.
Also Read
