Real Madrid were pushed to the brink by Granada, but they came away with three points for the ninth straight match.
Since La Liga’s return, Real Madrid have been an unstoppable force, moving to the top of the table with their 2-1 win over Real Sociedad. They’ve never looked back since, and although Granada finally put one past them after Real had five straight clean sheets, Los Blancos ultimately prevailed 2-1.
Here are five burning questions for Real after the win, with another tough opponent Villarreal up next on Thursday evening.
1. Can Real Madrid avoid beating themselves?
Defensively, Real Madrid are a juggernaut, but if there’s one issue they have, it’s that they can be their own worst enemy. Take the goal Darwin Machis scored against them on Monday night as an example. Los Blancos were in the driver’s seat 2-0 after early goals, but they slipped up and let Granada back in the game.
Casemiro was the one who made the rare error here, getting robbed of the ball in midfield, which enabled Granada to make one pass to the goal. While Casemiro is one of the MVP’s of Real’s season, whenever he has an off game, such as against Manchester City, the team suffers. And his off games occur when he’s making errors on the ball.
That’s going to be the big key for Real against Villarreal. Can they avoid beating themselves or letting the opposition back in?