This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…
Despite a rocky start to the new season, and an even worse prelude to it, there seems to be life in the Spanish capital after all.
Real Madrid are still not completely out of the woods just yet, though.
Of course, when you manage to keep a clean sheet in three consecutive games and win two of those in the process it’s time to start considering a big shift in momentum.
This is not to say that all of their problems of the past have suddenly and rather magically disappeared, but it does suggest Zinedine Zidane is working really hard behind the scenes and his big Galactico jigsaw is finally falling into place.
And sure, the Madrid derby ended up being a goalless draw but earning a point from their trip across the capital is definitely not a cause for panic.
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On the contrary, after seven games played in La Liga, Los Blancos have already successfully gotten rid of the trips to the Wanda and to Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan in Sevilla, drawing the former and winning the latter.
And after all those tough challenges along the way, they are still enjoying their view from the very top of the table with both Atletico and Barcelona playing catch-up.
But now that they have somewhat stabilised the situation in the domestic league, they have to do the same in the Champions League as well. And needless to say, after that 3-0 demolition at Parc des Princes, they owe it both to themselves and their fans to go into the next game with everything they’ve got.
Which actually brings us to their next clash – the Tuesday night showdown with Club Brugge at the Santiago Bernabeu this evening.
On paper, the Belgian team are definitely no Paris Saint-Germain and definitely not as big or glamorous as Real Madrid. By all accounts, this should be one of those games Los Blancos can put to bed early and tally their first points without breaking a sweat.
But that game is also a prime example of a banana skin game.
It’s just one of those matches that you allow yourself to go through on auto-pilot, hoping everything turns out well without too much effort put into it.
But this is the Champions League and after an initial blip in the competition’s opener, Real Madrid just might be all out of extra lives. Not to mention that now they are finally flying high and have all of that momentum on their side, it is absolutely essential to keep the wheel spinning.
And besides, a victory in Europe at this crucial time just might be heralded as their official big turning point of the season – a necessary boost in confidence and team morale might be exactly what the doctor ordered for the men from the Spanish capital.
Of course, Zidane will surely be focused on winning and his squad should be too but it would be far too easy to forget this is just the beginning and only the most consistent team can be the most successful one.
Once they finally find their consistency and start showing it across all stages in their campaign, only then can they be regarded as real contenders.
But that also applies to Tuesday’s clash with Club Brugge.
There’s a real banana skin in front of Los Blancos. Are they going to jump over it or slip and kiss the pavement once again?
Their fortune might be turning but it will be up to them to make sure it continues going that way in the near future.