The position has a certain significance in a new format; they are hovering about the second dotted line. A side who began the competition as favourites, along with Manchester City, now instead risk the embarrassment of failing even to get the safety net of a play-off place. If Real initially thought their fixture list would not include a European double-header in February, now they must hope it does. The alternative is the embarrassment of crashing out of continental competition altogether.
A revamp that appeared designed to make sure the richest were too big to fail could now eject the biggest of them all. And if a tough trip to Atalanta could mean Real spend Christmas looking imperilled, January meetings with RB Salzburg and Brest might offer the partial salvation of a play-off place; that said, Real have already lost to Italian and French opposition before going down 2-0 to Salzburg boss Pep Lijnders’s former club, Liverpool. Under the old system, Real reached the knockout stages in 29 successive seasons. But then old certainties seem to have been destroyed recently.
This story is from the November 29, 2024 edition of The Independent.
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This story is from the November 29, 2024 edition of The Independent.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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