Soccer Champions League

Loss To Valencia Comes At Right Time For Real Madrid

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By @adamdclifton

Getty Images

Getty Images

In the extremely competitive Spanish Primera Division, the top teams can afford losses. Despite suffering a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Valencia CF at the weekend, Real Madrid CF will benefit from the timing of the defeat.

Real Madrid ended 2014 on a 22-game winning streak, one of the longest in the history of the sport. Looking to start 2015 where they left off, Madrid faced a tough test against a strong Valencia squad at the Estadio Mestalla. An early goal from Cristiano Ronaldo was not enough as Valencia stormed back in the second half to bring Real Madrid’s win streak to an end. With an extremely important run of games upcoming, the loss comes at just the right time.

In the next month, Real Madrid will face defending La Liga champion Atletico Madrid three times. Two of these contests will be part of the Copa Del Rey, and the final matchup will go a long way to determining the winner of La Liga this season.

Although it should not influence the decision making process, win streaks are known to affect the thinking of managers. Real Madrid were making history with their winning streak. In situations like this, it is difficult to make decisions that could end the win streak, but the long-term interest of the club should be the primary concern.

Now that the win streak has come to an end, manager Carlo Ancelotti can make key decisions about squad rotation and resting players without the guilt of risking the historic win streak. Also, when a team has not suffered a defeat since September, it can grow complacent.  The loss to Valencia will serve as a spark for the squad and could play an important role in the upcoming fixtures against Atletico Madrid.

It is not often that a loss is a good thing, but in order for Real Madrid to achieve their goals for this campaign, this one could be exactly what they needed.

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