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As Real Madrid Slip, the Time is Now for Barça

BySean Whooley|
BARCELONA, SPAIN - JANUARY 14: Luis Suarez of FC Barcelona celebrates with his team mate Lionel Messi after scoring his team's first goal during the La Liga match between FC Barcelona and UD Las Palmas at Camp Nou stadium on January 14, 2017 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
BARCELONA, SPAIN - JANUARY 14: Luis Suarez of FC Barcelona celebrates with his team mate Lionel Messi after scoring his team's first goal during the La Liga match between FC Barcelona and UD Las Palmas at Camp Nou stadium on January 14, 2017 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Real Madrid have slipped in the last few matches. Now is the time for Barcelona to make a comeback.

Real Madrid went a miraculous 40 games without a loss. They’ve now lost their last two matches and it’s been difficult for Barcelona to keep pace. Quick turnaround, no?

To set the record straight, Real Madrid have proven to be one of the best teams in Europe (the best, actually, if you refer to the most recent Champions League triumph). However, with their recent struggles, it puts the onus on Barcelona to gain ground, and do so quickly. You never know when a team that is capable of doing so will reel of another stretch of 40 matches without a loss.

Only one of Real Madrid’s two recent failures came in league play, but the point stands. Los Blancos are vulnerable, and if there was ever a time to pounce, it would be now.

Trailing their rivals by two points (though Madrid have a game-in-hand) is a good place to be when there is an Achilles heel. In this case, there isn’t anything particular in Real Madrid’s game to pinpoint. They’ve conceded goals, and been unable to respond in losses to Sevilla and Celta Vigo. But, there is no definite weakness in terms of tactics. However, they are clearly shaken by defeat, and perhaps short on confidence. Other teams can take advantage on the pitch, and Barcelona can on the table.

Barcelona’s next four league fixtures are mid-table Eibar and Betis, a solid Athletic Bilbao and a pesky Alaves team that shocked Barça in September. Real Madrid square off with average Malaga and relegation-bound Osasuna, but also a strong Real Sociedad and Celta Vigo, who just defeated them. Meanwhile, Sevilla, a point ahead of Barcelona, is capable of tripping up too—more so than Real Madrid. That is why Barcelona’s objective must be to catch Los Blancos.

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If Sevilla sustain their pace, that presents another animal. But, at the moment, Atletico Madrid is finding consistency hard to come by. It could very well be a two-horse race for La Liga once again. If that is the case, Barça has perhaps their best chance to gain ground right now.

Zinedine Zidane has proven to be a very good manager so far (managers that win 40 in a row tend to be at least decent). A skid of this magnitude shouldn’t be taken lightly, but shouldn’t be the end of the world. He is smart enough, and his team is talented enough to see this through, and find success quickly. Again, this only further demonstrates Barcelona’s need to take advantage of the present—if there are to be more slip-ups, they must cost Real Madrid.

This is not to say Madrid can’t right the ship immediately. But, Barcelona can look at the four upcoming fixtures and lick their chops. It is imperative that they get 12 points out of 12 in La Liga, absolutely vital. Perhaps it already was, simply because before Madrid’s blips, the same requirement sat ahead, only it was to keep pace with them. Now, they can leapfrog them.

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Barcelona have won La Liga for two years running. They know how to mount a title challenge, and they know how to see it through. This season is a bit different, where they have to come from behind in a pivotal part of the season. If there was ever a time to start that comeback, it’d be now.