The international break could not have come at a worst time for a resurging Real Madrid.
Real Madrid followed their 6-0 thrashing of Galatasaray in the Champions League with a 4-0 at Ipurua against Eibar. The win momentarily put Madrid top until Barcelona’s win against Celta Vigo.
The win against Eibar was not only impressive because of the scoreline but because the team seems to be finding a cohesion that had been missing earlier in the season.
Aside from the collective, individual players are also showing signs of improvement. One such individual is Eden Hazard.
Hazard, who was brought over from Chelsea, was having a tough time adapting at Real Madrid and his weight became an issue to explain his poor performances. But against Eibar he showed why the team spent so much for him.
Marca were full of praise for the Belgian writing, “Passes, dribbles, rabonas, sprints, shots … but, above all, he showed the force he is with the ball at his feet and an ability to glide past defenders which only Lionel Messi can match in this sport.”
For the first time since he returned, Zinedine Zidane has Real Madrid playing attractive football and getting the results to match.
One reason as to why is he is playing the players he trusts in and not worrying about the egos he may hurt.
Gareth Bale and James Rodriguez have once again seen their playing time dwindle and little has been made about it because their replacements have come into the side and stabilized the team on the pitch.
Karim Benzema is enjoying one of the best moments of his career and is both scoring and setting up teammates to score as well.
Sergio Ramos and other tenured veterans have also stepped up but so have unfamiliar names.
Rodrygo has been somewhat of a revelation and the Brazilian has managed to overshadow his compatriot, Vinicius.
Federico Valverde has proven to be what their midfield needed and has performed every time he’s been given an opportunity. He’s been one of their unsung heroes and has quickly made people forget about Marcos Llorente.
Unfortunately for Zidane and Real Madrid, the only thing that stops them now is the international break.
The break could not have come at a worse time for Los Blancos. Not only does it momentarily disrupt their momentum but they know that there is a risk that their players could come back injured.
Talks of a crisis earlier in the season may have been warranted. But now Real Madrid look to be firing on all cylinders which is bad news for Barcelona and their challengers in the Champions League.