7 ways for Real Madrid to win La Liga this season
The reigning champions are in the ascendancy, we believes if they avoid a few perilous pitfalls, they will win their third Liga in a row.
Real Madrid were written off Europe- and worldwide in the race for this season’s Spanish championship. Barcelona were unstoppable, apparently, and Madrid merely meek opposition at their mercy.
They were wrong. As phenomenal as Barca were during three months of this season, that time is over. They remain a great team having a potentially great campaign, but it is unlikely to make anywhere near as much history as many had expected.
Their dip in form can be put down to key players losing fitness and form, as well as various opposition having learned from their mistakes made in the first round of games against the unfamiliar entity that was Pep Guardiola’s Blaugrana.
Just as they have evolved, so have Madrid. The gap has closed from 12 to just four points in the space of three matchdays. Madridistas will tell you that the gap is just a single point, as they are already counting the three-point egg from el Clasico at the Santiago Bernabeu in May long before it has hatched.
1) Dropping El Derbi Points
Los Merengues’ first test of the 13 remaining is a game in which their recent record is impeccable: the local derby against Atletico Madrid. The Whites have been battering Atleti home and away in recent seasons, thus with the form in which they find themselves, this should be a formality.
But it must now be remembered that this is an Atleti side that just outplayed Barcelona on their way to an incredible 4-3 victory. An Atleti side including Sergio Aguero, big-game extraordinaire who has yet to work his magic against los Blancos. It is imperative that Juande Ramos’ men emerge victorious from this game, as they cannot afford to let the gap between themselves and Barca re-open.
2) Losing Lass
Lassana Diarra has been an incredible signing for Real Madrid. He really is the new Claude Makelele, and more. He provides the perfect balance for the midfield and is adaptable enough to play alongside more or less anyone. Granted, he is in a rich vein of form and there will be rockier roads to come, but the mere presence of a player in his mould in the absence of his namesake Mahamadou and Ruben de la Red cannot be understated.
If Madrid are made to resort to playing Fernando Gago as an anchorman in midfield, they could run into trouble. Alternatively, the Javi Garcias of this world do not have what it takes to succeed at the highest level. With the injury situation as it is at the Bernabeu, Lass is arguably the side’s most crucial player. This side can win without Arjen Robben, no problem, but avoiding defeat without Lass is another matter entirely.
3) FlorentiNO
Talk must cease of Florentino Perez’s seemingly inevitable summer appointment as president, whom he plans to recruit, what Juande Ramos must do to keep his job, whether or not he will be let go regardless and so on. Rumours of this nature will only destabilise what currently appears to be an almost unflappable working unit.
Juande must be given the full confidence of the interim board, as he has been, and if the Madrid press really do have the best interests of the ‘White House’ at the forefront of their agenda, then the less they say – about Juande in particular – the better.
4) Rafa Rotation
If – and it is a monumental if – Madrid make it past Liverpool and continue to juggle La Liga and the Champions League, it is essential that Juande remains as loyal to his best XI as is possible.
Of course, the likes of Raul, Fabio Cannavaro, Guti, Arjen Robben and perhaps Gonzalo Higuain should be withdrawn as and when it is safe to do so, but taking matters to the lengths of Madrid-bred Rafael Benitez himself – who looks like he may have done for his hometown club in the CL – would be nothing but detrimental.
Much of Madrid’s success has been built on continuity. Members of the squad such as Javi Garcia, Javier Saviola, Michel Salgado and an unfortunate Royston Drenthe devoid of confidence are not players who should be playing any kind of significant part in the remainder of the campaign unless it is absolutely essential. Every game, as the old cliche goes, is a final.
5) Losing El Clasico
In Juande Ramos’ first league game in charge, Real Madrid visited Camp Nou with Barcelona in nothing short of full swing. They survived 80 minutes – and should have even nicked a goal in the first half – until two late strikes ended the contest. That extended the gap between the two sides to the now infamous 12 points.
How things have changed. Madrid could now even draw the game at the Bernabeu and still win the league, so significant has been the shift in momentum in La Liga. What they cannot afford to do – and this may sound obvious – is lose. Circumstances pending, of course, they should not take too many risks if scores are level, as they simply cannot match Barcelona man-for-man in forward firepower – specifically due to Lionel Messi – and could thus end up the architects of their own downfall.
6) Defend, Defend, Defend
Let the Bernabeu boo-boys do what they do, Juande cannot remove himself from the defensive strategy that has seen him through so far in the league. It has been cagey and frustrating to watch at times, maybe, but this remains a consolidation period for the champions and winning must be the primary priority.
If they lose concentration as they did for a split second against Liverpool, it could end their season. Likewise, too, an attacking line-up could be exploited, as it almost was in the first half against Espanyol. The personnel must be in prime condition and the mentality must remain as it has over the past two months. A new season will afford a new start for the capital club, but for now, they are certainly better safe than sorry.
7) Royal Raul
As imperious as his form has been in recent weeks, should the great No. 7 hit a dip in form and start disappearing from games, Juande Ramos must not refrain from starting with Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Gonzalo Higuain, or even just one of the two and with one of Wesley Sneijder or Rafael van der Vaart bolstering the midfield.
Unlike this time last season, there should be no need to rely on Raul to see Real Madrid over the line. He is a big game player and should never be counted out – his renaissance as a mediapunta makes him an even bigger asset – but the possibility remains, as it does with anyone else, that he may lose his form. If that happens, he should be treated accordingly.
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