On Sunday, the season starts for Real Madrid and winning LaLiga is their top priority.
Although Los Blancos have made a name for themselves internationally in the Champions League - the old European Cup - they've set themselves a new goal domestically.
John Toshack said the league is "the bread and butter of Real Madrid," - the competition which provides their daily sustenance to satisfy their competitive hunger.
However, that dish has been missing from the table too often in recent years with the club only enjoying a top-table finish once in the past eight seasons.
That was back in 2012 under Jose Mourinho, although they have added two Champions League cups to the trophy room in 2014 and 2016 since then.
Their lack of domestic success is an unusual drought that explains why it has become an obsession ahead of the 2016/17 season.
All preseason training, including the UEFA Super Cup, has been part of the preparations for next Sunday's date against Real Sociedad at the Estadio Municipal de Anoeta, which Zinedine Zidane wants to use as a launching pad for an explosive start to the season.
They don't want to repeat past mistakes of beginning more with a whimper than a bang - like last year against Sporting Gijon when they were held to a goalless draw, forcing them to play catch-up with their rivals throughout the season.
This No. 1 priority explains why key players, such as Gareth Bale and Toni Kroos, missed out on the cup because, although lacked training, they could not risk being exposed to injury.
Champions League means a lot to Los Merengues but the team have built their reputation in the league.
Their lack of success can be attributed to the strength of Barcelona, a club enjoying their best football in history, and the emergence of Atletico Madrid under Diego Simeone but they also have themselves to blame in many respects.
The outcome of the past two seasons could have been very different if Real were better prepared.
In 2014/15, there was some laxity in the team controlled by Carlo Ancelotti while the following year the players were hampered by a dull start under Rafa Benitez, who never connected with the key voices in the dressing room.
Now hope lies with the Frenchman to overcome their deficit to the Catalans.
He's already guided the squad to conquer two titles with the target of topping LaLiga firmly in his sights.
0 comments:
Post a Comment