The Los Blancos became the Spanish league champions for the first time since 2012 after they defeated Malaga 2-0 in their last match of the season. This triumph was even sweeter because they had prevented Barca from winning three consecutive league titles.
To put things into perspective, before this title glory, Barca had won six of the eight previous championships. So what did Zinedine Zidane and his boys do differently this time around?
One of the biggest factors is that Real have been able to find the back of the net in every match this season. This includes goals against powerhouses like Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid in the Champions League and also against their arch-rivals Barcelona in La Liga. And the goals have come from different players, not just the star forwards. Davi Carvajal and Fabio Coentrao are the only outfield players who have failed to score in La Liga.
The reason for this stat is also Zinedane’s squad rotation. For many matches, the Frenchman hasn’t been afraid to rest players like Isco, James Rodriguez and Alvaro Morata from the starting eleven. These players would make the starting lineup for any team in the world right now. But on occasions when he played with these players, the team stepped up and delivered the results – often better than his ‘regular XI’. It was this strength in depth helped them win the trophy.
And then there’s the form of Cristiano Ronaldo this season. Zidane has him playing a centre-forward instead of a winger, which gets him in the right positions to display his lethal finishing skills without costing the team defensively.
The star striker has also often been left out of key matches, in order to give him a deserved rest. This helped rejuvenated the 32-year-old and helped him score crucial goals against Sevilla, Celta Vigo and Valencia that helped Madrid fight off Barca and lift the title.
Apart from the players delivering, one of the biggest factors is the reassuring presence of Zidane. The Frenchman has an unmatchable resume as a player that made it easy for him to earn the respect of his squad. His predecessor Rafa Benitez wasn’t able to handle the tricky Real dressing room but Zidane was able to calm the squad down.
Not only was Zidane able to get more out of his Galacticos but he got crucial out of players like Lucas Vazquez and Marco Asensio when called upon.
With Barcelona constantly on their tail, this was one of those times when Real did not crumble under the pressure. Despite losing to their arch-rivals at the Santiago Bernabeu in April – match considered to be a title-defining one — Real continued to plug away and get the wins.
Barcelona ended up scoring an impressive 116 goals this season but at times failed to win against smaller teams. In the big games the Catalans raised their game and got the results but consistency was lacking and that is what Real were able to deliver.
Real have cracked the code this season. Now to see if they can continue it.