It is highly unlikely that you see Real Madrid and Barcelona both struggling in the same season and a third team leading the title race by a 10 point margin. Atletico de Madrid are indeed leading the Primera Division title race with a 10 point lead and a game in hand to spare as well.
The two European giants have shown a couple of similarities in terms of how they have performed this season, and it has not been a great sight for the followers of the two teams. Real Madrid have fared poorly in the league and have blown a 7 to 8 point lead at the top of the table that they once enjoyed during the season.
On the other hand, Barcelona have had a sluggish start to the season and are seemingly cleaning up the mess they created. However, will it be enough at the end of Matchday 38 of the season? The 4th Official has a look at the two critical shortcomings of Real and Barca this season.
Shortcomings Of Real Madrid And Barcelona
Shortcomings Of Real Madrid And Barcelona
Injuries And Sick Bay
Real Madrid
Real Madrid have struggled with injuries throughout the season and at no point during the current season has Zidane been given the opportunity to pick and choose his men from a full-strength squad. Eden Hazard, in particular, has been a cause of concern. The Belgian started the season late and has repeatedly found himself on the sidelines since his return.
Despite being amongst the most important members of the squad, Hazard has failed to leave any sort of significant impact on the side. The Real Madrid medical team has failed itself each time regarding Hazard. The reasons range from rushing him into the side post an injury to poor assessment of his injury. The Real Madrid hierarchy needs to troubleshoot this as soon as possible.
Dani Carvajal and Federico Valverde have also been injured on multiple occasions this season. It would be unfair to put the entire blame on the medical team for the hiccups this season. However, the constant injuries to the first-team regular have certainly dented Real Madrid’s season.
Barcelona
Barcelona have been held back by injuries to a great extent. The long term injuries to Ansu Fati and Gerard Pique completely changed the season’s dynamics for Ronald Koeman’s side. Even though Ronald Araujo has stepped up and performed in the absence of Pique, Barca have certainly missed the experience and leadership of a seasoned campaigner in Gerard Pique.
Furthermore, Barcelona played a good two months without a recognized right-back in the matchday squad. Sergino Dest and Sergi Roberto were both injured for a prolonged time, and the latter again picked another knock. These problems in the defensive sphere have made the Barcelona back-line weak and shaky, which pretty much explains the drop in points on numerous occasions this season.
Inconsistency In Form
Real Madrid
Real Madrid have dropped points on eight occasions this season with four defeats and four draws. Interestingly, none of these dropped points are against Atletico de Madrid and Barcelona. As a matter of fact, the Whites have outperformed both the two previously mentioned teams with emphatic scorelines and garnered all the six points on offer.
The problem lies in dealing with the teams Real has sloppily dropped points against in Levante, Osasuna, Elche, to name a few. With shabby performances like these against teams from the lower strata on the points table, Real Madrid have voluntarily withdrawn themselves from the title race.
Barcelona
Barca had a torrid start to the season with defeats to Cadiz, Athletic Bilbao, Real Madrid, and Atletico Madrid. The Cules have since fought back, but the points table is an apt indicator of the slow start they had to the season. Barcelona have also lost four games and drawn four games this season.
The stalemates against Deportivo Alaves, Elche, Valencia, and Sevilla have left Barcelona 10 points adrift of Atletico in the points table. Barcelona will need to maintain the consistency they have shown in recent fixtures if they seek to pose a serious threat to Atletico Madrid in the points race. The upcoming fixtures against Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Sevilla will seal the fate of the title race for the Catalans.
