Just when it seemed liked Real Madrid were back on track and ready to claim the Liga crown as their own again, a couple of disappointing results have knocked them off course.
A narrow 1-0 defeat at Levante on Saturday was a sickening blow for Zinedine Zidane and his side ahead of a crucial week during which they face Manchester City in the Champions Legaue before hosting El Clasico.
The result at Ciutat de Valencia was painful for a variety of reasons.
They fell behind fierce rivals Barcelona in the title race who enjoyed a thumping 5-0 victory at home to Eibar, courtesy of a Lionel Messi quadruple.
Apart from the two-point gap to the Catalans, an ankle injury to blockbuster summer signing Eden Hazard which possibly rules him out for the season was a bitter pill to swallow.
The biggest concern though is one that may continue to haunt them for the rest of the campaign and threatens to arrest what’s been a fine resurgence for Los Blancos in Zidane’s second spell.
You need goals to win games and, to borrow a phrase from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Madrid simply don’t have a striker who will break his nose to score one.
For all his admirable qualities and even the manner in which he’s stepped up to lead this Madrid front line over the last couple of seasons, Karim Benzema certainly doesn’t fit that description.
On one hand, Zidane deserves credit for the way Madrid have been playing lately. Not only has the defence improved significantly from last season but some of the passing and link-up play in the final third has been scintillating.
Madrid’s 16.3 shots per game is by far the highest in La Liga. They also rank first for key passes with a tally of 316 far superior to Villarreal’s 263 in second or Barcelona’s 252 in third.
But despite boasting such impressive attacking numbers, they’ve scored 16 league goals fewer than the Blaugrana.
And that’s what must frustrate Madrid fans most after their team were presented with ample opportunities in front of the Levante goal only to fire blanks.
Hazard was guilty of wasting a glorious one-on-one scenario in the second half but it’s his approach to a modest half-chance early on in proceedings that should send alarm bells ringing.
With Dani Carvajal’s cross falling to him inside the box, the Belgian had just enough room to get a volley away or even take a touch into the space between the two defenders closest to him and work a shooting opportunity.
Instead, he opted to watch the ball sail past him in the hope that Marcelo would sweep it up; the Brazilian didn’t.
Then after some silky build-up play, Isco played Benzema in on goal. The Frenchman had enough of an angle to shoot either side of the keeper but confirmed suspicions that he’s merely a number nine with the soul of a number 10, hopelessly enslaved to the pursuit of that additional pass which leads to an open goal.
As such, he decides to square the ball for Hazard arriving at the back post but the defender gets a touch and deflects it away from the winger’s path. It wasn’t the worst idea, but there’s no chance Cristiano Ronaldo passes there.
If that wasn’t bad enough, the striker really left fans exasperated in the second half when Casemiro floated a cross to him at the far post.
The flight of the delivery had taken his marker out of the contention but rather than do the obvious and head for goal, from inside the six-yard box no less, he inexplicably brought it down with his chest, allowing the defender to intervene and clear the danger.
The Madridistas are crying out for a striker who’s obsessed with scoring goals, or at least a forward who sees the value in first-time efforts and early shots.
Perhaps Luka Jovic was meant to be that man but the young Serbian hasn’t taken to Spanish football like Madrid would’ve hoped, not yet at least.
Even without Hazard Los Merengues retain a host of talented individuals capable of playing their way through any defence, primed to create chance after chance. Now, if only someone would apply the finish.
