Real Madrid: Be careful not to rejoice too soon

Although Real Madrid defeated FC Barcelona 2-0, winning La Liga isn’t a guarantee for Los Blancos.

Real Madrid were able to come out of El Clasico with a win that put them at the top of the table, which was a breath of fresh air for the fans who have watched their team go through a slump in recent weeks which saw them lose their spot at the top of the league and trail 2-1 to Manchester City in the Champions League.

However, it’s easy to get complacent after a massive win like this but we need to remember that it means absolutely nothing if we do not take advantage of it.

As fans, we deservedly celebrated winning the game against Barcelona after a difficult couple weeks. This win got our season back on track with the league now completely in the hands of the team.

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Therefore, it’s not hard to get sucked into the celebrations before realizing that even though the win against Barcelona is a massive step towards hopefully winning the league, it means nothing in the long-run yet.

Both teams have a lot of games coming up and will need to be completely focused. Even though the matches against Barca and Atletico Madrid are done, that doesn’t mean things will be easy from here on out.

Real Madrid did very well against both teams but found themselves dropping points against the ‘smaller’ clubs in the table.

Teams such as Levante, Villarreal and Real Betis are expected to lose to Real Madrid but the squad simply didn’t do enough to get all three points. Real Madrid still need to play Villarreal and Real Betis during the next few months.

Los Merengues now have 12 games left in the competition:

1. Real Betis (A)
   • The last time these two sides met, it ended 0-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu. Real Betis aren’t having their greatest season but that’s usually thrown out the window when Real Madrid come to town. Los Blancos will need to name a strong lineup capable of taking control of the game.
2. Eibar (H)
   • Real Madrid beat Eibar in a comfortable 4-0 win during the first game between the two sides this season but cannot let complacency kick in. This game will be played the weekend before we visit Manchester and if Zidane will want to make rotations, he will need to be careful not to take it too far.
3. Valencia (H)
   • In the league, Real Madrid drew 1-1 with Valencia but beat them in the Spanish Super Cup after a change in formation. Valencia will be expecting the five-man midfield again and they will definitely come out with a stronger showing than the one we saw in Saudi Arabia, which was them performing way below we are used to seeing.
4. Real Sociedad (A)
   • The team we beat in the league but knocked us out of the Copa del Rey, Real Sociedad are in incredible form this season. It could be argued that they beat us in the cup due to Zidane naming a weakened lineup but no one can deny the quality that they have.
5. Real Mallorca (H)
   • Real Mallorca were the first team to beat Real Madrid this season with a 1-0 scoreline. These are the types of games that you need to win in order to win the league and Los Merengues will need to be careful when the time comes for this match.
6. Espanyol (A)
   • Always be wary of the teams fighting for relegation. They need wins and will do everything in their power to ensure it happens. Therefore, Real Madrid need to keep that in mind against a team that will come out with everything.
7. Getafe (H)
   • This is another match that needs to be taken very seriously in addition to the Real Sociedad game. Getafe are in spectacular form this season and if they are still fighting for place in Europe (which they are expected to be given their performances), then this could be a tricky game for Real Madrid.
8. Athletic Bilbao (A)
   • A team who have had their ups and downs this season but also came out with a point in the last meeting against Real Madrid, Athletic Bilbao always perform better against us and that’s something that the team will have to keep in mind.
9. Alaves (H)
   • Real Madrid barely beat Alaves the last time around but they should be able to win this comfortably at the Santiago Bernabeu.
10. Granada (A)
    • Granada have found themselves in the mid-table region during the season and they will want to keep it that way. Even though it’s likely that by the time this game comes around, they won’t have much to play for, that could end up being a dangerous thing.
11. Villarreal (H)
    • After a 2-2 draw earlier this season, Los Blancos will have to be extremely careful against a very unpredictable Villarreal side.
12. Leganes (A)
    • The final match of the season will be against Leganes who could be relegated by this time if results keep going the way they are. Therefore, Real Madrid could be in luck if it comes down to the final game of the season.

As you can see, even though beating Barcelona has helped in more ways than just putting us in first place of the league table, there is still a lot to play for against teams that can genuinely stop Real Madrid from getting all three points during their matches. Of course, Barcelona will have their fair share of games but it would be very dangerous to depend on hope especially when we are in control of our own destiny now in the competition.

Zinedine Zidane has made it extremely clear that the league is his priority this season and now is the time for him and the team to show how serious they are.