Real Madrid: 5 Takeaways from the First Half of the 2011-2012 Season

It's no secret that Real Madrid are in scintillating form so far this season. They have been performing up to their high expectations, and Madristas are generally very optimistic over their upcoming match against their Blaugrana rivals.

Jose Mourinho looks to finally have the Madrid Machine working efficiently in a consistent manner, something that was distinctly lacking during the 2010-2011 season.

Here are some things to take away from their performances so far these past few months.

Play in La Liga

Real are currently three points clear of Barcelona at the top of the La Liga standings, and it only looks like that gap will widen. I say that simply because they are on a nine-game win streak, with victories over prominent teams such as Villarreal, Valencia, Atletico Madrid and Olympique Lyonnais (in the Champions League).

Besides one loss to Levante (who are currently fourth in La Liga standings) and a draw, Real have won 11 out of 13 domestic games played this year. This is a frightening statistic for other major players in La Liga, such as Barcelona, who currently have won nine, drawn five and lost one in 15 games played.

Not only are Real winning domestically, but they are winning big. They have a plus-36 goal differential in their games played (including a 7-1 win over Osasuna). Some other mind-boggling statistics include their 20-5 goal differential in the final third of their matches (60-90 minutes), and five victories with a four-plus-goal margin.

Play in the UEFA Champions League

So far this season, Real have been arguably more dominant in their Champions League run than they have been in La Liga. They have played five games and earned 15 points (a perfect record) against the likes of Olympique Lyonnais (Ligue 1 champions from 2002-2008) and AFC Ajax. They are rightly power ranked right now as the No. 1 team in the competition, coming off a 6-2 thrashing of Dinamo Zagreb (in which they scored three unanswered goals in under 10 minutes).

Real's form seems ever improving, and they can genuinely afford to incorporate newer and under-utilized players like Nuri Sahin, Raphael Varane and Jose Callejon—as they have already qualified for the next stage. The Madrid team look poised to ease into the next round, a place where no team (including Barcelona) can afford to play the nine-time European champions. 

Strikers' Play Compared to Barcelona

Real Madrid's forwards and offensive midfielders are actively proving to be the best and most consistent offensive force in La Liga. Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Gonzalo Higuain, Jose Callejon and Angel di Maria have collectively performed better than any other set of forwards in the Spanish league (including Barcelona), and could arguably be the most dangerous offensive threat in Europe at the moment.

Three out of the top five goal scorers in La Liga are Real forwards (Ronaldo T-first, Higuain third, Benzema T-fifth), whereas Barcelona have only Messi in the top 10—although he is leading the table. 

Real's forwards and the team as a whole have been excellent at both home and away ties (6-0-0, 5-1-1 respectively). Angel di Maria is leading La Liga with 10 assists and Mesut Ozil, who seems to be quickly returning to top-class form, is not trailing far behind with five. Barcelona have not been as offensively productive as Real (Barca are coming off a 1-0 loss to Getafe), which could be a reason for their poor away record (2-3-1).

Looking forward to El Clasico at the Bernabeu in two weeks, it seems that Real have the upper hand with respect to offensive prowess.

Promising Youthful Team

It truly is hard to believe how young a team Real are. Besides Carvalho, Casillas, Alonso, Kaka and Pepe, all of Madrid's squad are 26 or under. This has several implications for the team's prospects.

First, they are youthfully energetic and generally less injury-prone, which is advantageous for the long season they are looking at. It also certainly means that they can be confident in the fact that a core of at least most of the youngsters (if not all) will remain at the club for several years to come—implying that will become even better together (which is hard to imagine).

The age of some of the players is surprising considering how long we've been talking about them. For example, Cristiano Ronaldo is only 26, and Benzema, Coentrao, Ozil, Sahin, Di Maria, Marcelo and Higuain are all 23 years young. They also have Raphael Varane, a promising 18-year-old who already has the experience of a Champions League start. 

Real Madrid's array of youthful, experienced players will prove genius on Jose Mourinho's part this season, in both the Champions League and La Liga.

Jose Mourinho

Speaking of the "Special One," Real truly seem to be responding to their coach's fiery tactics since the summer. Time and time again, Mourinho can be seen from the sideline pushing his team, never looking content with his team's performance. There is a distinct desire in his eyes that wants to disprove all of his critics.

There is arguably no manager as gifted as Mourinho, seeing as how no other manager is pursuing a European Cup with three different teams (FC Porto in 2004 and Inter Milan in 2010). 

Andy Gray stated brilliantly after Inter's win over Bayern Munich in the 2010 final that "he has once again won with a team that wasn't supposed to."

With relatively no big players in 2004, Mourinho won with Porto. With a strong but not necessarily dominant Inter Milan, he managed a victory over an arguably more talented Bayern team. At Chelsea, he gave the club its first Barclays Premier League title in a season where Manchester United and Arsenal were the outright favorites to take the trophy.

Real, however, is a team that is supposed to win—every game. It seems that after a year adjusting, Mourinho is finally prepared to win against the pressure of managing a team that is always supposed to win. He will be the driving force behind a team that will win both La Liga and the Champions League this season.

You heard it hear first, and thanks for reading.