Real Madrid fitness takes dip ahead of crucial stage of the season

Real Madrid escaped feeling more than a little fortunate that they dismissed RB Leipzig in midweek, squeaking by 2-1 on aggregate thanks to a Vinicius Junior goal. However it leaves them in a good spot going into the final stretch of the season, with the main question being whether they can maintain standards.

On Thursday it was reported from the Real Madrid camp that a certain ‘relaxation’ had been noticed in recent games, where simple passes were going astray, and mistakes at the back were commonplace.

Now Relevo say that this is in part due to fatigue. Los Blancos are going through a physical dip currently, and their goal is to get to the international break, without dropping any points to Celta Vigo at home or Osasuna away, so they can recover properly and find some sharpness again. While they usually experience a dip in fitness under Antonio Pintus’ regime, it tends to occur during January and February, but this season has hit them a little later.

It should also be noted that Los Blancos have had a number of key players miss game time during the winter months, and after getting them back, they may be dropping off slightly as they return to their usual rhythms, and similarly those that weren’t injured were obviously dealing with increased minutes for the most part. If Real Madrid can get over the dip by the end of March though, then Los Blancos will fancy a run at another famous double under Carlo Ancelotti.

Image via Oscar J. Barroso / AFP7 / Europa Press