February just got a whole lot tougher for Real Madrid
By Ben Sundock
The month of February could be the toughest Real Madrid as a club has ever played. Two Copa del Rey matches with rivals FC Barcelona in the semifinal, the Champions League matchup with Ajax, and the second installment of the Madrid Derby should cause Madridistas worries.
Ladies and gentlemen, buckle in. This is about to be the most daunting five weeks Real Madrid as a club may have ever experienced. Let’s take a look at the matches on tap for the month of February and the first couple weeks of March.
Fixtures
— Real Madrid Stats (@RMadrid_Stats) February 1, 2019
03-2 🏠 Alaves
06-2 ✈️ Barca
09-2 ✈️ Atletico
13-2 ✈️ Ajax
17-2 🏠 Girona
23-2 ✈️ Levante
27-2 🏠 Barca
02-3 🏠 Barca
05-3 🏠 Ajax
09-3 ✈️ Valladolid
16-3 🏠 Celta
30-3 🏠 Huesca
02-4 ✈️ Valencia
06-4 🏠 Eibar
10-4 🏠/✈️ UCL QF 1st Leg*
13-4 ✈️ Leganes
*If qualified
If I had to sum up this schedule in one word, that word would be yikes!
What immediately stands out to me is what is to come early next week. After hosting Deportivo Alavés on Sunday night in the Santiago Bernabéu, Los Blancos will have to play Barca in the Camp Nou for the first leg of the Copa semis, then at the Wanda Metropolitano against Atleti in La Liga, and finally in Amsterdam against Ajax.
Oh my!
This is going to be an incredibly difficult time for manager Santiago Solari and his team. The manager must juggle three different competitions with little time between each match, meaning a healthy squad is even more crucial than usual.
The good news for Solari and Madrid fans is that – knock on wood – nearly every player is healthy and can play when called upon. Furthermore, with seven matches in February, we could see out of favor players work their way back into the starting XI.
Isco, Marco Asensio, and Gareth Bale have been afterthoughts over the last month. Isco has clearly done something to upset his manager seeing that he hasn’t started in a match since the Copa quarterfinal against Leganés.
Next. It’s now or never for Gareth Bale at Real Madrid. dark
Maybe he could earn a spot in the regular rotation if he can put in a couple of good performances. We know he has the potential to be a Barca killer if he is used in the right way!
Just look at what Zinedine Zidane did with him!
If Real Madrid manages to advance in the Copa and UCL, while keeping somewhat close to Barca and Atletico at the top of the league, it will be the perfect five weeks. Let’s hope the players and coaches are well rested heading into this part of the season!