A trip to Almeria is all that now stands between Real Madrid and the Club World Cup as Carlo Ancelotti and his men go in search of yet more trophies this season.
The 4-0 win over Ludogorets on Tuesday night confirmed their dominance on the European stage as they collected their sixth win to comfortably top Group B. Meanwhile, a glance at the Primera table will show that they are in irresistible form on all fronts as they secured their 19th consecutive win in all competitions to set a new Spanish record.
With Cristiano Ronaldo expected to win this year’s Ballon d’Or and Ancelotti set to receive reinforcements, there is seemingly no reason why the Spanish giants can’t continue to improve in 2015.
Despite the temptation to rest on their laurels and move forward with the hope that the current squad will be enough to continue to bring success, Ancelotti and the hierarchy are already looking long-term as they continue to dominate in the more immediate future.
Further, while the Italian tactician celebrated the effort of the players on Tuesday to set the new record, a warning that they must continue to work hard and fight wasn’t too far behind. With such vast experience and knowledge of the game, Ancelotti is undoubtedly relishing the opportunity to take this highly talented group of players as far as they can go.
The players themselves deserve great credit too in the sense that they have displayed a consistently high level of commitment and drive over the course of the winning run. While Ancelotti is the brains behind the brilliance, Ronaldo and Co. must still execute the plan on the pitch and they have done so impressively.
As a result, it appears as though this is a match made in heaven between the Coach and the players as well as the club being firmly behind both.
Madrid’s squad depth and ability to integrate players into different roles makes them so dangerous, and they will be fully aware that if they can claim further trophies in the coming months then they will be making even more history.
Having scored 71 goals and conceded just nine over the span of their 19-game winning streak, much has changed about this team since that defeat to city rivals Atletico back on September 13.
Perhaps just as impressive is the fact that Madrid have kept 11 clean sheets during that run to compliment one of the deadliest attacks in football, and that is important for the defensive group who can rightfully insist they have played just as significant a role as the others.
From the 8-2 triumph over Deportivo to the 3-1 victory over bitter rivals Barcelona, this winning run has been an incredible achievement for Los Blancos as they have taken apart all those that have been put in front of them for the best part of three months.
