Five matches that defined Real Madrid’s 2016/2017 La Liga title campaign

Real Madrid are the 2016/2017 Champions of La Liga. For Madrid, winning the league was never a foregone conclusion. Real Madrid fought hard throughout the season, and came away deserving champions. To review the La Liga campaign, Alex McVey takes a look at 5 matches that define the essence of Madrid’s 2016/2017 La Liga title run.

In chronological order…

Atletico Madrid 0 – 3 Real Madrid – November 11, 2016

In the first Madrid Derby of the season, Real Madrid faced off against their neighbors who they had bested yet again for the Champions League trophy the year before. Atletico Madid had been eliminated from the Champions League three years running by their Madrid rivals.

The La Liga Madrid derby, on the other hand, was a much different story. Before squaring off in November, Real had not beaten Atletico Madrid in the Spanish League since 2013.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s hat-trick sealed the deal against Atletico Madrid. Ronaldo was enjoying a slow start to the season after suffering an injury in the European Cup finals. But he silenced his critics this match, and even got to show off a new celebration.

By demolishing Atletico Madrid in the cauldron of the Vicente Calderon, Zidane was able to do what Ancelotti had not: find a formula for beating Atletico Madrid in domestic competition. An inability to pick up points in the league against Atletico Madrid hampered the Real Madrid title chase of the past few seasons. This season, though, Madrid would not be defeated by Atletico Madrid in the league, picking up four crucial points in the season’s Madrid Derbies.

This match was also notable because it provided Isco a chance to shine. Isco had not been featuring heavily in Madrid’s lineups, but injuries to Toni Kroos and Casemiro gave Isco the opportunity to prove his merit, and he flourished in this match.

This match also exemplified the 2016/2017 season insofar as it demonstrated Zidane’s burgeoning tactical flexibility. For this match, Zidane rolled out a 4-4-1-1 formation, with Isco playing a free-roaming attacking midfielder role behind Cristiano Ronaldo as the lone striker.

The intense squad rotations that would come to define the 2016/2017 campaign were also on display against Atletico. As I wrote immediately following the match:

"Faced with an injury list that would have made Madrid fans of the 14-15 season cringe, Zidane put his faith in Madrid’s young, deep bench, and was rewarded handsomely… While the idea of facing the disciplined Atléti midfield without the physical power of Casemiro or the tactical awareness of Toni Kroos seemed a daunting task, Mateo Kovačić and Isco slotted in seamlessly, carrying the ball around Atléti’s press with ease. Facing injuries to captain Sergio Ramos and defensive stalwart Pepe, Zidane was forced to rely on Nacho and Rafael Varane. The same young center back combination that had been demolished 4-0 by Atléti in the Calderon in Feburary of 2015 demonstrated a newfound discipline that showed Real Madrid can cope with injuries both at the front and the back."

The match against Atletico was Real Madrid’s first big test of the season, and they passed with flying colors. The fact that Zidane was able to secure this result against a fierce Atletico Madrid team with an injury-ridden Real Madrid squad and a brand new formation is testament to the coaching prowess that got Madrid through the season with the title in hand.