Real Madrid Must Fix Problems Before Barcelona Run Out Of Sight

Jose Mourinho is right in saying that Real Madrid are currently not in crisis mode, but even he can’t be too pleased with what he’s seen over the last week.

After scoring ten goals in season-opening wins over Zaragoza and Getafe, Real have failed to score in their last two La Liga matches, a shock 1-0 defeat at Levante last Sunday and an equally disappointing goalless draw at Racing Santander on Wednesday. Most football match previews expect a big bounce-back win this weekend against newly-promoted Rayo Vallecano, but looking at the big picture, Real need to catch fire sooner rather than later.

La Liga title favorites Barcelona have drawn both of their first two away matches and have only eight points to Real’s seven through four rounds, so the last two matches haven’t done as much damage as they could have. Still, the margin for error for Real was miniscule to begin with, and even a few two or three-match winless runs over the course of a season can prove costly, considering how rarely Barcelona have stumbled over the last few seasons. Sure, the two head-to-head showdowns with Barcelona will have a say in whether or not Real end Barca‘s run of consecutive titles at three, but Real can ill-afford to drop too many points in matches that they’re expected to win.

Real have some tricky ties to navigate before their hated rivals visit on 11 December, with visits to Real Sociedad and Valencia (the two sides who’ve held Barcelona), trips to Espanyol, Malaga, and Sporting de Gijon, and a home meeting with city rivals Atletico. If there are too many stumbles in that stretch, they could well find their title hopes in tatters if Barca can continue their recent run of success at the Bernabeu.

With the winning pedigree that Mourinho has and the attacking talent he has at his disposal, you can’t expect Real to be down for too long. In the end, it could be that this lackluster week lights a fire under Real that sets them off on an extended winning run that turns the title race on its head. But the sooner that the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, and Gonzalo Higuain start firing again, the better. Otherwise, the crisis that currently isn’t will be, and there won’t be any denying it.

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