After only winning one out of their last four matches, and losing the biggest match of their season to Barcelona, Real Madrid were in as close to a tailspin as it is possible for a team as great as Real Madrid can be. Fortunately for them, though, the international break gave them a much needed break from club competition. Given their recent form, that alone made them one of the teams most aided by said break.
One of the most crucial benefits to the international break for Real Madrid is that they got some extra time to heal up some injuries. Most notably, James Rodriguez has returned to training after suffering a broken foot back in February, which will provide a boost in the midfield for Los Blancos in the season’s final weeks.
In addition to Rodriguez’s recovery, Real also got an extra week for Pepe to recover from a thigh injury from the loss in El Clasico. While Raphael Varane is certainly a capable replacement while Pepe is out, having Pepe back for one more match than Real would have without the international break is a shot in the arm to be certain.
Besides having some extra time to heal up from their injuries, Real Madrid also saw their stars win matches during the international break, which was surely a relief for players who experienced an unusual amount of losing over the month prior.
The most notable of that group was, of course, Gareth Bale, who shined in his Euro 2016 qualifying action for Wales. In his country’s 3-0 win over Israel, Bale scored twice, and led Wales to a 3-0 road win, which put Wales in second place in their qualifying group behind Belgium. Since the top two teams in each qualifying group advance to Euro 2016 automatically, I’d venture to guess that the performance from Bale will help his confidence over the final two months of the season.
And if there’s a player in need of a confidence boost in Real Madrid’s squad right now, it’s Gareth Bale. Bale has been the target of frequent criticism in recent months over his play with his club team, so much so that club officials have had to come out and say that they are not hearing transfer offers for the winger. Madridistas will be hoping that Bale’s international brace will help him to play more confidently for the remainder of the La Liga campaign, as well as Real’s upcoming Champions League fixtures.
Perhaps more beneficial than positive international results and time to heal injuries, though, is Real Madrid’s upcoming schedule. Their next three matches come against Granada, Rayo Vallecano, and Eibar, teams that currently sit in 19th, 11th, and 14th in La Liga’s table, respectively. This will allow Real to get back into a rhythm after the international break and string together a much needed group of wins heading into an important match against Atletico Madrid. And while the next three games are certainly not guaranteed wins, opponents like those are certainly preferred to immediate matches against the league’s elite.
While Real Madrid has struggled as of late, there are always causes for optimism for one of the world’s best clubs. Whether those causes for optimism can translate to enough points to win the league, though, isn’t as clear.