Zinedine Zidane Discusses Real Madrid's Failure to Break La Liga Win Record

Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane has played down the significance of Wednesday’s 1-1 draw with Villarreal, as Los Blancos missed the chance to break a La Liga record for consecutive wins.

Had they triumphed at the Santiago Bernabeu, it would have been Madrid’s 17th league victory in a row, a mark unmatched in the history of the competition. But they fell behind to Bruno’s first-half penalty and, despite levelling through Sergio Ramos early in the second period, couldn’t find a winner.

“Mistakes can happen in football, but that was generally in the first half,” said the Frenchman afterwards, per Pablo Polo of Marca (translated by Richard Buxton). “Real came out less switched on and then were great in the second half, yet you cannot always win in the final moments.”

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It’s something Los Blancos have a reputation for doing in these key games. Indeed, in the UEFA Champions League clash with Sporting CP recently, they scored twice after the 89th minute to turn around a one-goal deficit.

Villarreal were able to stand firm, though, as a Madrid team without the likes of Pepe and Luka Modric were unable to break the record; their sequence ended on 16, level with the number accrued by Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona between 2010 and 2011.

As noted by ESPN FC’s Dermot Corrigan, Madrid pushed hard to get over the line in this one, although eventually things became a little desperate:

“I can't punish my players, I am happy with what they're doing, so we're not going to talk any more about the record,” Zidane continued, per Polo. “Let’s think about the next game and think about changing things, especially at the beginning of the meetings. We lacked intensity.”

Zidane was able to unite Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema in the final third from the start for the first time in La Liga this season. However, the trio failed to strike up their usual chemistry, with each having recently suffered with injury problems.

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That allowed Villarreal, who have started the season well under new manager Fran Escriba, to settle into the game and take a deserved lead from the penalty spot after Ramos’ handball. As Zidane noted, there was a greater intent in Real’s play in the second period, with the centre-back, atoning for his earlier error, towering high to put them back on terms.

While there are no prizes for breaking a consecutive-win record, it’ll be a disappointment to the squad not to have topped it, especially in a game on home soil. Football journalist Lucas Navarette feels these lapses can be costly to Madrid's cause, with their last league title coming in 2011-12:

It was a frustrating night, but fans can’t be too disheartened by the progress under Zidane; a stretch of 16 La Liga wins in succession and a UEFA Champions League triumph represents a prosperous run. With Barcelona and Atletico Madrid drawing 1-1 later in the evening, Los Blancos remain well in control of the title race, too.

When Ronaldo, Bale and Benzema do rediscover their absolute best, Real will be an almost uncontainable attacking threat. Factor in the consistency and versatility Zidane has injected into this group of players, and Los Blancos look well placed to clinch an overdue domestic crown.