Just like with the Undertaker at Wrestlemania....the streak is over.
Real Betis...of all teams, finally put an end to Real Madrid's incredible record of scoring in consecutive games.
Betis!
But that's how it tends to happen. Just like in life, things occur from the most unsuspecting of places.
Well done to Betis. Who put on a an inspired defensive display but still had the courage to take their chance when it came to them, rather than being happy with the draw.
In truth, Madrid should have scored. They were all over Betis for the entire game, but they faced a last line of defence that put in a man-of-the-match performance.
However, should is simply not good enough when your rival is Messi and Barcelona. No matter what state they find themselves in, as long as they have the Argentine hobbit, you have to be at the top of your game to defeat them.
As I mentioned in my post match analysis, Madrid had a crazy amount of chances, and really that ball should have rippled the net several times.
But it didn't, and that is what Zidane must focus on.
They lost. Barcelona are now seven points clear, and this will now become an uphill struggle as they try and close the gap before their first Clasico meeting.
That's the reality of the situation. For a club of this stature, there is no time to think about "whats ifs" or "if onlys". All that matters is winning, and when that doesn't happen, it's berating the players to get themselves back on the pitch and get back to....winning.
This is Real Madrid...not Scunthorpe.
It was a game where you see why Benzema is useful. His role in the team is not to be the finisher, but to help make other players better like Bale and Cristiano. He's the link man, that helps connect the weapons in attack.
With Cristiano now slotting into his position, and not in his favored wider role, you saw how difficult it was for him to find space. The Betis defenders crowded him and did their best to make every shot as difficult for him as they possibly could.
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| Why does that Betis guy look like he wants to eat the grass? |
But as I also mentioned, Zidane had to employ his substitutions earlier. You have a choice of either making the move at half-time or halfway through the second half.
He kept faith in the players he had, and chose the latter which now in hindsight was a bad move. Betis were there to get opened up, that was evident from kick off. Giving Vasquez and Asensio a full half to really stretch them would have changed the course of the game.
The Marcelo factor was also important.
As soon as he came off injured, Madrid lost an important attacking dynamic of their play. No longer did Betis have to worry about the incredible Marcelo marauding on the left flank. This meant they could now focus more on Carvajal and the threat through the middle.
Betis lived dangerously because Madrid constantly threaded them through. But with some luck and good organisation, it saw them through. Tactically, they did the best they could with the players they had against a vastly superior team.
It's done, they have lost and it's time to react. Those saying the La Liga race is over are being foolish. This is football, and far too many times have we seen things surprise and shock us.
It's....September.
Barcelona are only just getting started, and as much as they have surprised me by how well they have looked despite the departure of Neymar and the unease behind the scenes, I'm not convinced by how well the squad will hold up for a full season.
And...it's...September.
Zidane has to now step up to the challenge now. He's got to go back to the training ground and organise his team in a way to be more ruthless and get his key weapons to be in the areas in which they can cause the most damage.
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| Dude has to be positioned on the wing |
Cristiano may act as a striker with his goalscoring prowess, but the game showed that is not where he is most effective for Madrid. Zidane could have been creative and used Bale in that position, to act as Benzema and help provide the kind of space Cristiano would need to really exploit teams.
Before we start hearing extremely stupid calls for Zidane to get sacked, or him being a fraud. Give a man a chance to react, and re-assess?
Madrid are on the backfoot, and they are playing catch-up against one of the toughest teams to keep up pace with.
But it's....September.
It ain't over till it's over. HH
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