Real Madrid last night went one point behind Atletico Madrid after a really intense 4-0 victory against Sevilla. The BBC (Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo) and Jese Rodriguez all got on the scoresheet for Los Blancos. That will please the Bernabèu faithful definitely. The question we ask now is: 'Why did they not do this early enough this campaign?' Though their predecessors in past seasons find it hard to succeed both domestically and in Europe in one season, this form they're on now should have come much earlier in the campaign. The seasons under Fabio Capello, Juande Ramos, Josè Mourinho, and Carlo Ancelotti last season to mention a few have failed to yield the treble as their bitter rivals Barcelona have done last season.
One major point of note is that Zidane's men, for the large part of this season, have failed to stake a claim against the clubs in the top 5 this season. Including tonight's victory over Sevilla, the Spanish outfit have gotten a meagre nine points out of a possible 18 so far this season. That's very disappointing for a side hoping to match (or even better) the illustrious stats of the class of Di Stefano, Ferenç Puskas, Emilio Butragueno and other successful Real Madrid teams in the past. Domestically, Real Madrid have missed many opportunities to capitalise on slip-ups of Atletico Madrid and Barcelona. They also have slipped up quite immensely against their bitter rivals Atletico Madrid. After failing to get three points against the Rojiblancos, Real Madrid have now failed to beat their city neighbors for three consecutive seasons, and also losing three seasons in a row at the Bernabèu. This is hard to comprehend given the fact that Los Blancos were in first place for a long time before that loss against Sevilla. The Clasicò is also a point to note in this merry-go-round of a season. They couldn't string four or five passes in that game. They were virtually outplayed. Some say Rafael Benitez is to be blame owing to the poor team selection. Some also say the referee had a campaign against Real given the fact that Neymar was offside for the second goal. Others say it was an absolute masterclass by Barcelona. I mean, they picked out their rivals almost everytime in that game. There is an opportunity to save their faces on the 2nd of April this year when both Spanish superpowers meet at the Camp Nòu.
Real Madrid fail to sparkle when Cristiano is not on form. Even though CR7 has a staggering 41 goals in all competitions this season so far, he has not delivered as we expect him to and have seen him do in the past against the big guns. He tops the scoring charts in Spain with 28 goals, but most of those goals have come against the 'weaker' sides: Espanyol, Getafe, Rayo Vallècano, Sporting Gijon, and so on. There were certain games where you probably might see CR7 probably just three or four times in a game. In the Làs Palmas game at the Gran Canària, the Portuguese had a meagre 28 touches on the ball and was largely inefficient in the match. That is his lowest tally of touches since he joined the Spanish Outfit in 2009. Don't get me wrong, he is an absolutely immense footballer with an amazing scoring record; but he needs to come up in the big games. The Bernabèu expects him to come to his team's aid as he has done many times in the past. You never know, he might just come up good for his side in the Champions League this campaign. There may be pointers to the fact that Cristiano has not had the luxury of playing with Bale and Benzema the way Messi, Suarez, and Neymar do. There also may be claims to the fact that he is not as quick and he is played in that centre-forward role, unlike being played on the left flank where he can cut in and let fly as he loves to do. Cristiano needs to step up and deliver to salvage a season that had been heading for the rafters before Zidane came in.
The Spanish outfit have reason to be happy this season, given the fact that they have a new manager in Zinedine Zidane. Zizou has brought a certain unity and work-ethic to the dressing room that was not really present in that torrid spell with Rafael Benitez. The former world footballer of the year on three occasions, has also 'injected life' into his players. Yesterday's game was evident of that as we saw the players chase back virtually every ball. He also has woken up Cristiano who has gone top of the scoring charts in Spain since he took over with a tally of 28 so far and has looked rejuvenated. Most times, the Portuguese looked rather passive under Rafael Benitez. He suggested it may be a question of empathy as he replied Spanish journalists after the game against Espanyol last month.
Reports in Spain say that he is under a new fitness programme orchestrated by Zizou and that he is given more freedom to roam about round the pitch as he has done countless times before. The effect of that was seen against Roma in the Stadio Olimpico where he scored a truly spectacular goal. He received the ball from Marcelo on the left wing, swiveled past Alessandro Florenzi, and then he hit an absolute gem of strike into the top corner leaving Wojciech Szczesny clawing thin air.
There was a little bit of a deflection on the strike from Florenzi but you have to admire the audacity of Cristiano to try that and deliver. You never know, the dark invader (CR7) might just go on a hot streak that could lead the club to victory in the Champions League final in San Siro come May. Karim Benzema has hit 20 goals in La Liga this season: his best ever tally in La Liga. Gareth Bale has also found his scoring boots this season: he has scored 21 goals in all competitions this season. This is his best season yet in terms of goals. Those stats will prove vital for a club hoping to silence the incessant critics around them. There's still a sizeable period of the season and we could see the Welshman reach immense goalscoring heights this season. Another revelation has been Keylor Navas, the Costa Rican first choice goalkeeper who lit up the world in Brazil with some impressive bits of goalkeeping. He arrived from Levante in the summer of 2014. Given the fact that David De Gea was almost a Real Madrid goalkeeper this season, Navas has stamped his authority and looks the man the Bernabèu want in goal next season. Apart from his penalty saves this season, (3 out of 3); he has looked at times the best player on the pitch for Los Merèngues with his wonderful reaction saves between the sticks for Zizou's men. Casemiro has also come to the fore this season with his dogged approach in midfield. There is talk that he could be the Makelelè of this team. Claude Makelelè was an integral part of the team that won their 9th UEFA Champions League in 2002 at Hampden Park, where Zidane (current club manager of Real Madrid) scored an absolute peach of a volley with his weaker foot to settle the tie after Raùl Gonzalez and Lucio had scored for Los Blancos and Bayer Leverkusen respectively. Defensively, they also have reason to be happy. Pepe, Ramos, and Varane have looked sharper under Zidane. Marcelo, Carvajal, and Danilo have also looked very enterprising in attack whilst also defending quite well. The fact They are in the quarter-finals of this season's competition and if they get it right: they might just clinch La Undecimà (the eleventh).
In a season that has been characteristic of up and downs for the whites, they have it all to do now in the Champions League, given the fact that La Liga is gone. Real Madrid travel to the Veltins Arena where they face VFL Wolfsburg in the first leg of the Quarter finals on the 6th of April, 2016. Real Madrid might just go and all the way and clinch what you might call 'footballing immortality'. No club has more success in Europe than them, the closest being AC Milan with 7. All Madridistas around the globe will hope they can do it.
By Fowora Ayotomiwa. O.
@El_Fowora (Twitter)
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