It would now take a cataclysm in Spain for Real Madrid not to be crowned champions this season. Their latest victory against Sociedad this Friday allowed them to take off at the top of the table, and the Merengues are now in a position to break several particular records on the road to the title.
Uncompromising in domestic competition this season, Real Madrid is heading straight for the 36th La Liga in its history. Ancelotti’s men didn’t even stumble before the Champions League semi-final against Bayern. “Everyone thought we were coming here for a walk in the park, thinking about Tuesday, but this team is spectacular. They have incredible commitment, attitude and ambition. I am very proud of my players,” Ancelotti said after the 0-1 win at the Anoeta last night.
The incredible streak of invincibility
With this new success, the Madrilenians now have 27 games without defeat in La Liga since that which occurred against Atlético in the derby in September. In history, Real had also gone 27 matches without defeat during the 1968-69 and 1988-89 seasons. As for his particular record, it dates back to the 1989-1990 campaign, when he went 28 games without defeat. In all these seasons the title has been won. The longest unbeaten streak is 30 games between the end of 1987-88 and 28 in 88-89. A record still within reach of Ancelotti’s team…
Real have only finished La Liga unbeaten once, first winning the league title in 1931-32, but with just 18 games on the schedule. They only lost one match during the 1968-69 (30 days) and 1988-89 (38 days) championships. In all competitions, Ancelotti’s men have only lost two matches (both against Atlético at the Metropolitano). If they don’t lose again, it will be the season with the fewest defeats in all competitions since 1931-32, but at the time, everything was decided in just 20 domestic matches while this time it could reach 55 matches…
An infallible Real in attack…
On the other hand, it will be impossible to reach the 100 goals scored in La Liga which were commonplace season after season under the Cristiano era, but Real will end the season with offensive statistics that are still exceptional. With five matches remaining in the season, the Merengues have already scored 71 goals, or 2.15 per match. They are four goals short of last season’s 75 and nine short of the 80 that helped them win the title two years ago. And this, without inflicting extraordinary goleada. The only one to remember this season, the resounding 5-1 inflicted on Valencia at the Bernabéu.
But this Real never fails to score. Rayo Vallecano was the only team able to keep a clean sheet against Real. And not just in La Liga. Real scored in all matches, all competitions, with the exception of the one against their neighbors in the capital. 46 matches scoring at least one goal… out of 47.
…as in defense
Real’s offensive infallibility is matched by prodigious defensive solidity. Even more so when you take into account the enormous difficulties the team has faced with injuries to key players in these positions like Courtois, Alaba and Militao all suffering the worst possible injury for a footballer. This season, Madrid’s defense has only conceded 22 goals in 33 La Liga games, an average of 0.67 goals per game.
To put that into perspective, suffice it to say that it is on course for its best performance in over half a century, that is, since at least 18 teams participated in the Primera. Their best defensive numbers came in the 2019-20 season, when they were champions with 25 goals conceded in 38 games. The same figure with which they finished the championship in 82-83, but then with only 34 days on the calendar.
Additionally, Real have recorded 17 clean sheets in 33 La Liga games this season, equaling their best record at this stage of the 21st century. Without Courtois in the cages, remember. The record in a season is 19 games without a goal conceded, as has happened four times: 1986-87, 1987-88, 2010-11 and 2019-20. If Lunin, Kepa and possibly Courtois manage not to concede in three of the five remaining games, a new record will be established by this intractable Real Madrid.
