Real Madrid: 5 burning questions after incredible win over Barcelona

Real Madrid answered the critics and proved that they are still the team to beat in La Liga. But what’s next?

Consistency will be the key for Real Madrid this season. When they won the league title this summer, they did not lose a single match and maintained a high level of intensity in each game for 90 minutes. That intensity was lacking against Cadiz and Shakhtar Donetsk, and Real suffered accordingly through tactical issues and lethargy.

But on Saturday, Real Madrid were at their sparkling best for stretches of the game, nervy moments aside, defeating their (presumably) stiffest competition for the title 3-1 in their own ground.

Here are five burning questions in the aftermath of Los Blancos’ win.

Can Real Madrid keep this up?

That’s the No. 1 question on the minds of many fans. If Real Madrid can play this well at the Camp Nou against Barcelona, then why on earth did they play so poorly at home against Cadiz and Shakhtar Donetsk?

It’s frustrating how inconsistent Los Blancos can be early in the season, but, on the bright side, it seems like Zinedine Zidane’s sides adapt quickly after suffering disappointing results. Remember those disastrous early Fall matches against PSG, Club Brugge, and Mallorca?

Perhaps Cadiz and Shakhtar were just this season’s version of last season’s disappointing losses. And if they were a wake-up call for Zidane and his men, then they seemed to rise from their slumber on Saturday afternoon in Barcelona.

Next up for Real is Marco Rose’s well-organized and underrated Borussia Monchengladbach side. We’ll know a little bit more about where Los Blancos stand after that game at the Borussia-Park.