It was hyped as the Madrid Derby that could potentially eliminate any chance that Atletico had at contending for a championship in La Liga this season but by the time the game had ended, the outlook had been drastically changed.
Atletico Madrid put on an absolute clinic en route to a resounding 4-0 win that did a lot more than close the gap behind their biggest rivals at the top of the La Liga standings. The look on the face of birthday boy Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates revealed the much bigger picture as Real Madrid was absolutely embarrassed in a loss that could ultimately prove to be catastrophic to their league title hopes.
Real Madrid Still In First…Barely
On the surface, Real Madrid’s hold on first place in La Liga was reduced to a single point as Barcelona narrowed the gap with a 5-2 win over Athletic Bilbao on Sunday. Barcelona has looked absolutely dominant over the past couple of weeks both in La Liga and Copa del Rey action, and their latest win marked the third time already in 2015 that Lionel Messi and company have scored five or more goals in a single game.
Atletico Madrid narrowed their gap behind Real Madrid to four points and rather than being pushed completely out of the title race, they are now very much in it and playing with a ton of confidence.
Madrid Proves Vulnerable
The lopsided victory sent a clear message to both Barcelona and Atletico that Real Madrid is very much vulnerable at the top of the standings. The result was a complete undressing. Real Madrid had previously scored a goal in every single La Liga game this season but failed for the first time in this spot. They only managed a single shot on goal, which came from late sub Asier Illaramendi.
There is no denying that Real has more talent on its roster than Atletico, so how could there be such a lopsided result in a crucial game for both sides? Diego Simeone’s team is dedicated to working hard every single game to earn maximum results and they do have enough firepower to navigate their way to another title if Real stumbles the rest of the way. Even more concerning for Real should be the fact that Barcelona actually is on a relatively equal playing field in terms of pure talent and they have slowly developed a chemistry that has to be very intimidating for opposing teams. Lionel Messi and Neymar have put on an absolute show over the past couple of weeks and with the deficit down to a single point, Barca is suddenly right there forcing Real to look over their shoulder.
Ancelotti Calls His Players Out
While Atletico’s massive win provided a confidence boost for both they and Barcelona, it’s easy to understand how it could have an opposite effect on Real Madrid. Carlo Ancelotti called his players out for a lack of fight and given the score line in their latest loss that criticism certainly seems justified. There has been a lot of finger pointing over the past couple of weeks and it will be very interesting to see how the team responds after being called out in public. Ronaldo seemed very frustrated in his return from suspension and the theory that this team will only go as far as their superstar striker can take them is suddenly very relevant.
Ronaldo’s Post-Loss Birthday Party
Everyone deserves to have a happy birthday but the vision of seeing Ronaldo celebrating at a party – even if it was his own birthday party – after such a devastating loss did not sit well with fans. Ronaldo deserves a life outside of soccer but this just wasn’t a good look. It just adds to the myriad of issues that have surfaced over the past week.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqIvVDuuSGI
Was It Just One Bad Game?
That’s what everyone is wondering. On one hand, it may very well have been only one bad outing but they averaged 3.25 goals per game while winning 22 games before Christmas. They have averaged just 1.88 goals per game since. Considering the impact on the standings, the corresponding confidence boost it has provided for both Barcelona and Atletico, as well as the possible seed of doubt it might have planted within Ancelotti’s club, it’s clear the embarrassing loss could have potentially catastrophic implications for Real Madrid in its La Liga championship bid.
