Out of the four competitions in which Real Madrid could win a trophy this season, the club has struck out on two of them. Zinedine Zidane had previously been a master of tournaments, but his sides were knocked out of first-round games to Athletic Club in the Spanish Supercup and third-tier Alcoyano in the Copa del Rey.
There are still two trophies left for Real Madrid to grab. And while they are the underdogs in both competitions, Los Blancos have a fighting chance.
The first is La Liga. While Real are in second place to rivals Atletico Madrid by a distance of six points and one game out-of-hand, those are not insurmountable odds for Zidane’s men. Next month’s Derbi on Mar. 7 won’t even decide the title race quite yet due to all the football left to be played in the calendar, but it will be pivotal.
Real Madrid already won the first Derbi, defeating Atleti soundly in a 2-0 victory as part of an incredible run of form with their backs against the wall. Los Rojiblancos are a finely-tuned machine after adding Pichichi leader and familiar rival Luis Suarez this summer, but their own failure to claim the full points against Levante is a reminder that they are far from invincible themselves.
Real Madrid are not truly underdogs in the Champions League
Then, we have the Champions League. Europe’s marquee competition used to be the pride of Zidane, who had completed the unprecedented feat of winning three straight. But with Cristiano Ronaldo gone and the forward position a perennial problem now, Real are not among the favorites for the prestigious championship.
Yet they are not the underdogs either. Atalanta is no walk in the park, but they are outside the Champions League slots in their own league. They are still dangerous even without Papu Gomez, who moved to Sevilla this winter after a falling out with his manager. But Real remain the favorites in the Round of 16, so they should advance further than last year’s early exit to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.
From there, you never know what can happen. All it takes is the right players to be healthy and in form. Sergio Ramos, Rodrygo Goes, Fede Valverde, Dani Carvajal, and Eden Hazard are all long-term injuries who could potentially be ready to make an impact for Los Blancos in the key stages of the Champions League knockout stages. As Barcelona, Atleti, and even Serie A title favorites Inter Milan can attest, a healthy Royal White side is as dangerous as any in Europe.
Real Madrid have a fighting chance to win a coveted trophy in 2020-2021. As low as the lows have been for Los Blancos, so many teams around Europe are suffering even more, such as Liverpool, Juventus, and Dortmund. Madridistas have such high expectations that it is easy to fall into the trance of pessimism. No false hopes should be given, but there is no reason to write this team off either.