Athletic Bilbao 0 – 0 Real Madrid – Three Takeaways from the La Liga draw

Real Madrid only managed to pick up a single point after a frustrating draw away to Athletic Bilbao. Here are three key takeaways from the match.

Real Madrid threw away their shot

Just a few weeks ago, it looked like Barcelona were notching an insurmountable lead in the hunt for the La Liga title. Then, a draw against Valencia last week allowed Madrid to claw a few points back. Real Madrid finally had an opportunity to come within six points of Barcelona after Messi et al drew against Celta Vigo at home this matchweek.

But it was not to be. Madrid had an opportunity, and they wasted it. Looking a far cry from the young, scrappy, and hungry 2016-17 side which won the La Liga/Champions League double, Real Madrid decisively threw away their shot to bring the La Liga title back within realistic contention.

I wrote following Barcelona’s draw with Valencia that Madrid still had a mountain to climb. In that article, I discussed how Madrid’s problem isn’t just that Barcelona are putting together results, it’s that Madrid don’t look like they’re any good right now. In order to have a shot at La Liga, Madrid have to capitalize on every single mistake Barcelona makes. They had a chance to do that on Saturday, and they failed miserably.