Manuel Pellegrini clearly needed some time to call this team his own and his side have recorded a couple of disappointing results at the start of the season but the fact that Real are just two points behind Barcelona despite losing El Classico speaks volumes about the work the Chilean has done with this team.
It is never easy to coach a star-studded team like Real, but the wealth of coaching experience certainly helped Pellegrini deal with the enormous pressure at Santiago Bernabeu. The boss showed real character by giving the chance to Rafael van der Vaart to prove himself even though the Dutchman had been far from the starting berth at the start of the season and the midfielder in return helped Real rediscover their form during the past few weeks.
Real also showed a lot of quality by topping their Champions League group, which helped them avoid the favourites for the title and I really don’t expect Lyon, who have major problems this season, to cause them a lot of problems.
The recent uptrend in form has coincided with the return of Cristiano Ronaldo from injury and he has already shown on several occasions why he was brought to Bernabeu. With Kaka also set to return in January, Real are expected to continue with good performances and who knows, maybe they can even pip Barcelona to the Primera title.
Real still have a couple of weak spots in the team, especially now that Pepe has picked up an injury, although Garay does look like a very good replacement. If I was Manuel Pellegrini, I would certainly be looking to replace Alvaro Arbeloa, who looks like the weakest link in this side and bring a natural left-back in January. For the time being, the 4-3-3 formation looks like the best option, with Ronaldo and Kaka playing just behind Gonzalo Higuain, and Rafael van der Vaart offering even more creativity to Lass and Xabi Alonso in midfield.
If I were an expert in online betting, I would recommend backing Real to win the Primera title since the betting odds will not be as high for much longer.
