Kieran McManus/BPI/REX
Approximately 11 months ago or so, everyone was proclaiming from the rooftops that Bayern would rule the world for years and that the German giants had not only ended Barcelona’s reign, but they had replaced the Catalan club. A few mere hours after Munich watched their Champions League aspirations get crushed by a titanic Real Madrid outing, it seems impossible that the Bayern steamroller was halted so swiftly and firmly. But, perhaps an even bigger story than Bayern’s sudden failure with Pep at the helm, is this Madrid team THAT dominant? A 4-0 destruction of a team that, at least halfway through March, was still seen as the mightiest squad in the world…what does it all mean?
The scariest part of this Madrid show of power is that the team still feels like there is building to be done. Benzema will, inevitably, be replaced with someone better. Whether it be a Luis Suarez or someone else, the spearhead of the attack will be better. On top of that, Gareth Bale will only CONTINUE to improve and mix into this squad. Chelsea may have shown how to defend compactly and counterattack against Liverpool at the weekend, but Madrid just gave a master class on how to do it best…the difference between a High School diploma and a Doctorate.
No matter who Madrid catch in their sights for the Champions League final or their final La Liga fixtures, it feels like everything is rolling downhill for Madrid right now. Ronaldo is back in Ballon D’Or form, Di Maria actually lets us forget how one-footed he is, Modric finally fits, Bale is actually working towards his transfer fee value, Casillas AND Diego Lopez are playing fantastically, and the rest of Madrid seems to be following suit. Heck, Sergio Ramos just scored a brace!
There is very little about what Madrid did in Germany that was not amazing. To shut down Bayern Munich is just as impressive as scoring 4 against them on their own turf. If it was not for the quick reaction of players to constantly surround the referee at all times, they might even be likable. This is now a team to be feared, and a team that will remain largely unchanged once the next campaign rolls around.
The craziest part of this story is that Madrid could be this dominant and still not take the CL or La Liga title home this season! If Atletico stay on top and do not surrender points (even their last match against Barcelona does not seem like a likely drop of points), Madrid will miss La Liga. The two teams remaining in the Champions League feel like the only teams with the know-how to challenge Real (Real Madrid dwarfs them both exponentially in talent though). To imagine such a remarkably talented team missing out on major silverware makes for a fantastic storyline…so which story will still be written? No matter what, we are witnessing the pinnacle or might from this Real team…just ask Bayern…they will probably be having nightmares for months!
