As one of the most powerful, wealthy and ambitious sporting organisations in the world, it is a matter of frustration and – to be blunt – serious embarrassment to Real Madrid that they have only won one La Liga title since 2008.
For a club which aspires to global domination not even being top dogs in their own country is unacceptable, and Barcelona’s success in claiming six of the last eight Spanish championships is no laughing matter at the Bernabeu.
Heck, even those paupers from the grotty part of town, Atletico, have managed to equal Real’s paltry recent haul of one La Liga crown, with Jose Mourinho’s achievement in 2012 being matched by Diego Simeone’s Rojiblanco triumph two years later.
This season, more than ever, Real are determined to put the record straight. Even though they have won two Champions League titles in the last three seasons, it’s clear there is still a strong sense of ‘something to prove’ around the Bernabeu when it comes to domestic affairs.
Ever since pre-season started in the summer, Zinedine Zidane has been unhesitant in publicly stating that his number one priority this year is winning La Liga.
That explicit message has since been regularly repeated by Real’s players, which is revealing for two reasons: firstly because Zidane in particular is usually very understated about his working methods and prefers to keep as much as possible in-house, and secondly because when a club which sets such store by European dominance admits they are targeting something else, you know they mean it.
So far, so good. Real sit six points clear at the top of the table, having remained unbeaten through their opening 13 games including a highly convincing derby victory at Atletico, while Barcelona have been dropping points left right and centre.
And Saturday’s trip to the Nou Camp, where Real won 2-1 in April, provides a huge opportunity for Zidane and his players to give themselves a major advantage by moving no less than nine points ahead of their Catalan rivals, and claim the significant edge of the direct head to head advantage.
However, there is absolutely no room for complacency because, as Zidane well knows, their dominant current position has been helped along by more than a slice of fortune.
Real’s results have generally been much better than their performances, and last weekend’s narrow 2-1 victory over Sporting Gijon, when the visitors squandered a chance to claim a deserved draw by missing a late penalty, was the latest example of Zidane’s team getting away with a bad display.
Although there’s a certain amount of merit in the ability to play poorly but still grind out victories, it’s highly unlikely that Real’s luck will hold for much longer. If they don’t start playing better, they will drop more points and Atletico and Barca, plus maybe even Sevilla, will be back in the title race.
The good news for Zidane is that he knows his team can play better, and their challenge now is to start reproducing the outstanding performance they delivered in the derby victory at Atletico last month on a more consistent basis.
If they can do that on Saturday, Barcelona are there for the taking. And if they can do it regularly over the next six months, so too is La Liga.
