Sitting 19 points behind FC Barcelona with a game in hand and fourth in the La Liga table, Real Madrid‘s chances of repeating as league champions is looking less likely by the day. Have the players given up on league play at the halfway point?
“The Champions League and the Cup are our priorities, we’re going for them,” Cristiano Ronaldo told his teammates in a squad meeting late last week. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has had one of his worst starts to the league season since he joined Los Blancos and the team as a whole is in the midst of its worst season since 2008.
With Barcelona undefeated at the midway point and looking like a team lightyears better than Madrid, many players have taken the stance that the league campaign for 2017/2018 is a wash.
After failing to show up in the second half against Barca in El Clásico two days before Christmas, Real Madrid has yet to right the ship, drawing with Celta Vigo and losing to fifth place Villarreal 1-0 at home this past weekend.
While some players such as Toni Kroos and Sergio Ramos have voiced their confidence in the team’s resiliency and ability to overcome the enormous gap, many of the other players seem to have lost confidence and hope.
As a fan of the team, it is pretty clear that the gap between Barcelona and Real Madrid is nearly insurmountable despite there being 20 games left. However, you never expect to hear a player say that the league is a lost cause.
I had said before that I hope the team will focus more on going deep into the Copa Del Rey and make a run at the Champions League title yet again. While the league may be a lost cause, this season as a whole is not.
There are still two important cups to play for. Plus, if the league is a wash, let some of the younger players get some quality game time and to try and help them develop for the future.
Looking at the quote from Ronaldo is rather telling. This coming from one of the fiercest competitors in the game and on the team is like an admission of defeat to me.
While the players may have given up on the league season, we as fans will never let our love for the club waver.
Next: Leganes vs. Real Madrid – Copa del Rey Quarterfinals preview
Real Madrid will return to league play Sunday against Deportivo La Coruna who are currently sitting in the relegation zone. Los Blancos will be hoping to get their first league win in over a month as they try to stay in the top four.