Current league champions Real Madrid don’t seem capable of defending the title this year. Something which, in fact, could not since 2006-2008, when he won two consecutive leagues. Barcelona proved intractable in the regularity contest, conceding only 8 goals in 24 gameswith only two losses and two draws, and gets a huge nine points his rivals and pursuers.
There still remains, in the absence of the start of the 25th day, 42 points up for grabs, so it wouldn’t be so unreasonable to think of a hypothetical comeback that seems impossible. Moreover, if there is a team that carries in its DNA and its idiosyncrasy the virtue of triumphing in the face of the most difficult adversity, and which has shown that even enjoying the competition holding a burning fingernailit’s Real Madrid.
History does not favor Madrid
However, history offers few pink precedents for meringues. Only one team, curiously Barça, could only defeat these 9 points on one occasion to end up winning the League. It happened in the campaign 98/99, in which Mallorca took a distance of nine points from Barcelona, the same that the culé club now has against Real Madrid. The team formed by Van Gaal he finished first in the qualifying table, proving that anything can happen in football until the last second.
To a lesser extent, Barça and Madrid managed to reduce an eight point difference in their day of the leader to win the championship. It happened to seasons 91/92 and 03/04where Barcelona and Real Madrid staged a real miracle that, given the level offered in Spain by the whites, does not seem to be repeated.
However, the possibility is still there, so the question is: What should Real Madrid do to return? Logically, winning everything is a chimeraeven if it would be the fastest way to put pressure on Barça, but also They will have to expect more than one setback from the culés eat dirt and get excited. If that happens, yes, the emotional factor of one and the other can tip the scales one way or the other.
The calendar will dictate the judgment
Thus, it will be the calendar that will dictate the sentence. While Barça only has to receive at Camp Nou, in the semi-final second leg of the Copa del Rey, Real Madrid itself, the meringues still have the champions league, fetish tournament in which skin and soul will be left to reissue the title again. The current League leader therefore has only one concern in mind, while Madrid, blessed problem, still have their hands full.
In addition, and this is the big trick that madridistas cling to, they still have to visit the Camp Nou, but this time in the League. Last direct duel between the two, the next March 19in which the victor will raise the toast of morality to his eternal rival. There will be more than 35 points to play after this classicand if Madrid reach six points or less, there is plenty of fabric to cut in the League.
Beyond the classic, which can doom the League or tighten it even more, the simplest calendar a priori is that of Real Madrid, except for the detail of having to play during the week in the Champions League. By the end of the League, removing the match against Espanyol and the classic in Barcelona, Ancelotti’s men receive Valladolid, Villarreal, Celta, Almería, Getafe, Rayo and Athletic at the Santiago Bernabéuwhile they must visit Cadiz, Girona, Real Sociedad, Valencia and Seville.
These last three outings seem to be the most complicated test for the madridistas, even if the fight for Europe and relegation can turn every game into hell by the end. For their part, however, Barca have ‘even worse’, despite the nine-point advantage: at home hosts Girona, Atlético de Madrid, Betis, Osasuna, Real Sociedad and Mallorca; and must visit Elche, Getafe, Rayo, Espanyol, Valladolid and Celta.
Two really even calendars, in which the team that lets their guard down can find themselves in serious trouble, even if Real Madrid’s room for maneuver is becoming narrower. There are two and a half months of competition left, a world to play for and everything can change in the blink of an eye, but one thing is clear: strong emotions await us by the 38th day. Who will win the title?