Real Madrid have now failed to score in their last two consecutive La Liga matches, and the most recent one wasn't a fluke. Los Merengues were poor and Racing Santander defended excellently for 90 minutes, netting themselves a well-earned point in a 0-0 draw against the Spanish giants. Madrid will now have to hope for a Barcelona slip-up or two to avoid a true must-win situation when El Clasico rolls around in December.
Racing Santander Vs. Real Madrid Live, 2011 La Liga: Full Time, Los Merengues Falter
It was easy to chalk up Madrid's awful first half display against Levante to the benching of Mesut Özil or the fitness of Cristiano Ronaldo, but no such excuse can be applied to this match. Both players played from the start and were not their usual selves. Karim Benzema was a bit off the pace as well, while injury fill-ins Raphael Varane and Lassana Diarra looked exactly like the players most thought they were - a raw, unpolished wonderkid and a disgruntled, out of form player.
Madrid are going to have to sort themselves out quickly if they’re going to keep pace in La Liga. Two consecutive bad results is hardly a disaster, but they can only afford so many hiccups before Barcelona open up a big lead on top of the league.
Check out coverage of all of the matches across Spain in our La Liga Week 4 StoryStream. For more on Real Madrid, check out Managing Madrid. For more on the entire world of football, head over to SB Nation Soccer.
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