Real Madrid: A title victory that couldn’t be more satisfying
Real Madrid have won their 34th La Liga title, and this one feels particularly special.
Last season, Real Madrid were one of the most disappointing teams in the world. They were bounced out of the Champions League unceremoniously and, worse yet, finished third in La Liga amidst a revolving door of managers. Zinedine Zidane returned to the manager’s seat, but many were skeptical if he could save the team. Some even wondered if Zidane was a fraud who simply rode Cristiano Ronaldo’s coattails to three straight Champions League titles.
Zidane had to deal with transfer rumors and links to Mauricio Pochettino and, laughably, Jose Mourinho, but he handled the pressure with grace. Never bogged down by the outside distractions, whether they be rumors about him or rumors about big-name players on the squad’s fringes, Zidane focused on getting the most out of both Real’s young talent and the veteran players who struggled in 2018-2019 without him.
The results have been fantastic. Real Madrid needed some time to get back to their best, and they had some hiccups along the way. A 1-0 loss to Mallorca, a few goal-scoring droughts, and injuries to Eden Hazard and other stars threatened to derail Real’s title hopes.
More from The Real Champs
- Manchester City hold talks over Real Madrid target
- Real Madrid player confirms he is playing with a fracture
- Real Madrid superstar rejected Premier League clubs confirmed
- Spaniard ready to join Real Madrid instead of Liverpool
- PSG want €100 million Real Madrid player to replace Kylian Mbappe
But in the end, they got there. On the second-to-last game of the season, Real Madrid sealed their 34th league title by defeating Villarreal 2-1 in a commanding display, only slipping once to give the Yellow Submarine some hope. But even if they faltered, they still would have won the league, as Barcelona lost 2-1 to Osasuna.
That said, Los Blancos didn’t falter. Since La Liga’s return from the COVID-19-imposed break, Real have been perfect in 10 of 10 games. And by perfect, I don’t just mean undefeated. They have not dropped a single point. Whereas Barcelona have been focused on VAR, coaching issues, transfers, and other irrelevant matters that point to their own dysfunction, Zidane kept his team focused.
Zidane’s penchant for getting his team to win in the biggest matches cannot be overlooked. Real Madrid never conceded a goal in five games against Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.
They defeated Real Sociedad to overtake Barcelona in first and then defeated Villarreal to make sure they won the title on the second-to-last Matchday of the 2019-2020 campaign.
Thibaut Courtois, Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, Dani Carvajal, Sergio Ramos, and Raphael Varane returned to being among La Liga’s best players under Zidane. Vinicius Junior, Ferland Mendy, Fede Valverde, and other young players shined under the former Galactico’s leadership. And above all else, Real boasted the best defense in the league statistically and arguably the best defense in Europe overall.
Because of all the doubts and the sour 2018-2019 season, Real Madrid triumphing over La Liga in 2019-2020 feels all the more special. This team had to push past injuries, critics, and frustrating slip-ups, eventually returning to being the kind of machine Los Blancos are capable of being under Zidane.
Next. Real Madrid benefits the most from the five-sub rule. dark
And what’s truly scary is that the young players aren’t finished developing and the revolution isn’t yet complete after just one summer transfer window. Another dynasty is brewing at the Bernabeu, not long after the latest one was supposedly done and dusted.