Los Merengues lost 2 points
The last setback for Real Madrid in the league, the tie in the Bernabeu derby, forced the whites to redefine their order of priorities in the 22-23 season. It seemed that way, but Barcelona’s mistake in Almería meant that what was supposed to be 10 points ahead for Xavi ‘s was one less in the white disadvantage: from eight to seven. The distance from the leader, which means that the current champion does not depend on himself to defend the domestic title, does not make us forget the good situation of the team on the other two fronts in which it is still immersed, the Champions League and the Copa del Rey. Without forgetting that Madrid have already won two titles this season, the European Super Cup and the Club World Cup, an achievement that no other team in Europe can boast of.
The great challenge – Champions League
The spectacular victory last Tuesday at Anfield, a 2-5 defeat of Liverpool in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16, brings Madrid closer to the quarterfinals, that is, just give games away from defending the title won on May 28 of 2022, precisely against Liverpool. A distance that is too short and suggestive to avoid being taken into account by the white club, which, as always, has the great objective of the season in the European Cup. The departure of Carlo Ancelotti’s pupils this European campaign invites optimism, with a brilliant performance in the league (which condemned the rest of the Spanish teams that participated in the first phase), which continued in the first game of the qualifiers. A duel that became very uphill with two goals from the ‘Pool’ in just ten minutes, which preceded the perfect storm that Madrid unleashed on Anfield from Vinicius ‘s first goal.