Just a few weeks ago – the last Sunday before Christmas, to be precise – Real Madrid’s title hopes appeared to be hanging in the balance.
Carlo Ancelotti’s team were drawing 2-2 at Valencia with time running out, facing the worrying prospect of entering the winter break seven points adrift of La Liga pace-setters Atletico Madrid and Barcelona.
How quickly things have changed. Firstly, as Real fans will fondly recall, youngster Jese Rodriguez popped up with a late winner at Valencia.
Then the New Year got underway with Real embarking upon an ominous run of form.
In their five games so far in January, Ancelotti’s men have won all five, scoring 13 goals and conceding none. That last statistic – five consecutive clean sheets – is the most heartening element of Real’s start to 2014.
Any team containing the attacking power of Gareth Bale, Angel Di Maria, Karim Benzema, Isco and Cristiano Ronaldo is always going to score goals; the problem earlier in the season was their defending.
Now those issues appear to have been solved, with the return of Xabi Alonso and the continuing improvement of Luka Modric creating a far more effective team structure to relieve the pressure on the back four.
If their defensive solidity remains in place, it’s tough to see Madrid dropping many more points.
At the same time as Madrid’s notable improvement, Barca and Atletico have been – by their own high standards – struggling.
Of course, it helped Los Blancos’ cause that the top two had to play each other, meaning at least one of them would drop points. In the event, the draw that transpired was perfect for the white half of Madrid.
More surprising was the leading duo both stumbling to draws on Sunday, with Barca failing to break down Levante’s defensive wall and Atletico being held at home by Sevilla.
So now Madrid are eagerly poised just one point adrift of the top spot and, considering the turbulent first few months of his tenure, Ancelotti has every right to be delighted with that state of affairs.
He has implemented a new style of play, integrated a batch of new signings, continued to bench club legend Iker Casillas, been without his second-most important player (Alonso), overseen a struggling defensive set-up and seen his team beaten by both Barcelona and Atletico.
In those circumstances, being only one point off the pace is a remarkable achievement.
Barcelona and Atletico have issues, make no mistake. Barca are continuing to wrestle with the question of how to break down defences when the strategy of Lionel Messi operating as a ‘false nine’ isn’t working – the fact that Tata Martino had to turn to inexperienced teenager Jean-Marie Dongou on Sunday says it all.
As for Atletico, there are signs that Diego Costa’s purple patch has come to an end. The feisty striker now hasn’t scored in five games and, without his goals, Atletico are struggling to win.
Real’s only issue, meanwhile, is staying on their current path. If they do, they will win the title.
