Real Madrid's lead over Sevilla at the top of La Liga was slashed to four points after Real drew 0-0 against Villarreal. What should have been a routine victory for Los Merengues was anything but that. Despite generally being in control of the match, particularly in the second half, Real just could not close it out. Luka Jović and Gareth Bale both had shots strike the crossbar, while Serge Aurier's last-ditch block at the goal line ensured that the score would remain level at the final whistle.
Almost from the beginning of this season, Real have been expected to cruise to the league title, largely due to the struggles of Barcelona and Atlético Madrid - ordinarily their chief rivals. This has not been the case at all, however. Real's lead over second-placed Sevilla is much smaller than what most (including many of Real's fans) would have expected at this point.
Real's recent form in La Liga has certainly been a cause for worry. Real have won just three of their last seven league matches and dropped what ought to have been many easy points along the way. While they remain in the driver's seat as far as the chase for the league title is concerned, they cannot afford to become complacent as they seem to have lately. Sometimes, it almost seems as though Real expect to sleepwalk their way to a league title while exerting minimal effort; this complacency appears to be at the root of their recent slump.
As a matter of fact, the main reason why Real remain in first place in the league right now is Sevilla's own slump. Prior to Sevilla's recent 2-0 victory over Elche, the Andalusian club had drawn their preceding three league matches and thus missed a golden opportunity to overtake Real and put themselves on track for a first league title since 1946.
In any case, with Real's Champions League round of 16 tie against Paris Saint-Germain approaching, the outlook does not favour Real at all. In their current form, an away match against one of the favourites to win it all is exactly what Real did not need. I'd even go so far as to say that Real should regard a close loss in the first leg as a satisfactory result. That's how unlikely a victory seems at the moment.
While Real did have a hot start to the season, they gradually began to take their foot off the accelerator as they pulled further ahead and simply have not been able to rediscover their early-season mindset and form. Though it may be a cliché to say that "winning is a habit", that aphorism certainly seems to be true in Real's case.
There might also be a possibility that Real have been distracted by the ongoing transfer sagas surrounding Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappé, and their likely off-season moves to the Santiago Bernabéu. Borussia Dortmund have not been able to construct a roster which will put Haaland in contention for Champions League titles or permit the Norwegian to be a perennial Ballon d'Or contender., while Real's interest in Mbappé has been something of an open secret for several years now. These were the transfer headlines that dominated the recent January transfer window. Certainly, it wouldn't be surprising at all if that has had an effect on Real's recent lack of form.
Even if Real end up reclaiming the La Liga title which they surrendered to cross-town rivals Atlético last season, this season will likely go down as an unsatisfying one - to those within the club as well as its fans. So much more was expected of Real when this season began, especially considering the fact that Carlo Ancelotti returned to the Real dugout. During the Italian's previous stint as Real's head coach, he led Real to the Champions League title in 2014. Such an outcome, unfortunately, seems unlikely this season.
Claiming this season's La Liga title is a bare minimum for Real. Failure to do so would surely be one of the worst chokes in European football for a very long time. The way that Real have been playing, that scenario is not completely out of the question. Although they should still win the league, nothing is a certainty - especially at this level.
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