Real Madrid: 4 keys to overtaking Atleti and winning La Liga

Real Madrid cannot beat themselves

The biggest fear any Madridista has at this point is the club making untimely errors to beat themselves. It’s the one thing that can undo a team with an elite mentality, great coaching, and talented players. Real have great resiliency and thrive under pressure, but any team can be susceptible to errors. And we have seen Real struggle in this respect during the middle of the season.

Those bad habits cannot resurface in any way. Even one misplaced pass out of the press, unnecessary risk, or poor ball into the middle of the pitch when recycling possession can spell disaster.

This advice mostly goes for the players like Alvaro Odriozola and Mariano Diaz who are unproven and could be forced to start matches if things don’t shake out the right way for Los Blancos. In a title race where perfection is demanded, you are only as strong as your weakest link. Real cannot afford anyone to be a weak link, whether they are a backup or a seasoned starter.

The message from Zidane to the players needs to be one of composure, discipline, and keeping things simple at the back. Rash challenges, risky passes, spotty passers attempting to be clever…all of these things need to be severely mitigated.