Real Madrid's Recent Struggles Caused by Injuries and Lack of Rotation
The league title is back within Barcelona's reach after Real Madrid's 1-1 draw against Villarreal at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Of course, there will be several twists and turns in the months ahead, and it's quite possible that the title race will go down to the final day.
But the pressure in Catalonia has eased after Madrid's slip up against a heavily rotated Villarreal team.
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If Barcelona win the rest of their games this season, they will win the league. The same applies to Real Madrid, but that will be of no comfort after a frustrating evening in the capital.
Was it of the club's own making? Carlo Ancelotti has maintained the same side, forced changes aside, for months on end.
The likes of Asier Illarramendi (nine starts) and Javier Hernandez (four starts) have barely got a look-in.
That's partly down to injuries, with players such as Luka Modric and James Rodriguez sidelined for significant lengths of time.
But on the other hand, Toni Kroos and the front three, for example, have been "untouchable" in the Italian's selection plans.
The coach insisted after the game, per Sport, that fitness and a lack of rotation were not the issues for Real Madrid.
He said: "If it’s a physical matter, the drop-off should have been in the second half not the first. We simply encountered difficulties."
Ancelotti is right in a way; even though star man Luciano Vietto and other first-teamers began the evening on the bench, the Yellow Submarine harried Madrid.
Gerard Moreno's strike was parried by Iker Casillas and Dani Carvajal was forced to head the ball to safety off the goal line.
Gareth Bale was struggling to make much of an impact; a mishit cross that struck the crossbar was the extent of the damage he caused.
Cristiano Ronaldo eventually fired his side ahead from the penalty spot. It was his ninth league spot-kick of the season.
Youngster Eric Bailly had pulled Ronaldo down, which gave him the chance to net his 30th league goal of the season.
The Ivorian defender was definitely guilty of a foul, but his team were left fuming when Moi Gomez was fouled by Carvajal in a similar fashion at the other end but nothing was given.
Eventually, Villarreal pulled level when Gerard Moreno drove home from the edge of the box.
Madrid were let off when Vietto, on as a substitute, lost his footing when in on goal and then forced a save from Iker Casillas with a header.
On the evidence of this one game, you could make a case for Ancelotti being correct. But Real Madrid haven't been at their best for weeks. That implies fatigue.
The quality in their side, even if they are tired, has taken them through several games. Wins away at Elche, Schalke and at home against Sevilla and Deportivo were slugged out, low on excitement and low on thrills.
When they came up against a side with real quality, Atletico Madrid, they were thumped 4-0. And now they have stumbled against Villarreal, who have a good manager in Marcelino and players of strong technical quality.
Saturday sees them travel to Bilbao to face Athletic Club, a tough fixture.
Not playing midweek, thanks to their Copa del Rey exit, may be a blessing for Ancelotti's men, who can use the next few days to recuperate.
Whether the Italian wants to admit it, they might just need it.
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