Real Madrid are very close to establishing a world record in football. Brazilian club Coritiba won 24 consecutive matches in all competitions between February and May of 2011. While forming part of the renowned Guinness World Records is fantastic, is this potential record a good thing for Los Blancos?
Having already beaten the Spanish football record held by FC Barcelona of 18 victories, Carlo Ancelotti’s team is currently at 21. This register started to emerge after two disastrous losses versus Atlético Madrid and Real Sociedad early in La Liga. It’s been three months since then and a lot has happened.
For once, the team was able to live without Xabi Alonso and Ángel Di María. Toni Kroos and James Rodríguez found their place in the system and made Madrid better. With a streak of great performances, they conquered Anfield and beat Barça in El Clásico. They also regained the 1st place in La Liga and succeeded in the UCL and Copa del Rey.
This positive period didn’t come without some difficulties. Luka Modrić suffered an injury and the team’s system also saw a slight decline in quality. However, Ancelotti reconstructed the squad and Isco delivered his best football yet. Jesé also returned and gave the coach a new reinforcement for the attack.
Before they can get their name on the books, they need to beat San Lorenzo, Valencia, Atlético Madrid and Espanyol. The matches against those two domestic rivals are of very high priority, since they can determine the future of the season. In addition, the Club World Cup is a title, and Madrid never say no to a trophy.
Regardless of the record and the important matches ahead, Real need to start prioritizing their efforts. Players like Modrić and James became injured because of an accumulation of minutes. The lack of rotation in the midfield and in the attack could really set the team up for some tough final months of the season.
This already happened last year when the BBC and other members arrived exhausted to the end of the road. Consequently, La Liga was lost after they were comfortably on top and the Champions League was won by resorting to an epic comeback. The team could get lucky again this year, but it’s very unlikely.
With all of this in mind, if the regular starters don’t get a break in less important games, injuries and fatigue will affect the team’s functionality. These starters played inconsequential showings against Ludogorets, Basel and Cornellà, therefore gathering unnecessary stress on their legs.
The memory of the Carlos Queiroz era is still alive among Madrid fans, as they saw the Galácticos dominate until January and quickly collapse afterwards. An 8-point lead in the top of La Liga ended up with a 4th place finish. The Copa del Rey final was lost against Zaragoza and the Champions League stopped in quarter-finals.
Ronaldo got his record, Casillas is pursuing his and Ancelotti wants to get this achievement on his vast repertoire of honors. Nevertheless, the Italian must consider all possible consequences of maxing out so early in the season. Only time will tell if this team was right in making such a huge effort for something that isn’t silverware.
