5 reasons why Barcelona can still win La Liga
Barcelona are the reigning La Liga champions and have won the league title in 6 out of the last 8 seasons. Luis Enrique’s side currently sit in second position in the league table - one point and one place behind leaders Real Madrid - albeit having played a game more.
The Catalan giants have 14 more games left to play before the end of the current La Liga season but will they be able to overturn the 1-point deficit and pip Los Blancos to their 25th La Liga title? Not sure if it is possible based on the current form of the two teams?
Well, here are 5 reasons why they can:
#1 Real Madrid’s feeble fettle
Real Madrid were unbeaten in all competitions this season right up until they faced Sevilla at the Santiago Bernabeu, where Jorge Sampaoli's side triumphed 2-1 to bring an end to the 40-match unbeaten streak of Zinedine Zidane’s side.
What was first seen as a minor blip in the form of Los Blancos has slowly turned into a big problem with Zidane’s side drawing, losing or narrowly escaping the two in the games following the Sevilla loss.
There are a more than a few factors behind this sudden dip in form – their poor defence, the indifferent form of Cristiano Ronaldo and the worrying form – or lack thereof – of Karim Benzema and Alvaro Morata.
Zidane’s side have only kept 2 clean sheets in their last 11 games across all competitions, highlighting the inability of Sergio Ramos and company to prevent the opposition from scoring.
Add to that, the profligacy of the two Real Madrid strikers namely Morata and Benzema, and Zidane has a real headache in his quest for his maiden La Liga title and Madrid’s first since 2011-12.
Benzema and Morata have combined to score 25 goals for Los Blancos in 61 games, which accounts for a total of 3,342 minutes spent on the pitch. While this roughly equates to 133.68 minutes per goal for the duo – not the worst of stats – it is certainly not enough to help them win the title.
Zidane will thank his stars that Gareth Bale has returned from his lengthy absence due to the ankle injury he picked last year and will be hoping that the Welshman can help the club turn it around towards the business end of the season.