Atletico Madrid succeeded in breaking Barcelona and Real Madrid’s dominance to clinch the LaLiga title last season. Zinedine Zidane and Lionel Messi’s exit from their respective teams seemingly suggested an upper hand for the LaLiga champions. Fast forward half a season later, and Los Blancos are leading the title race.

Post the departure of Zidane, Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane, Real Madrid needed a fresh lease of life. Carlo Ancelotti was re-appointed to help the team rise from the ruins. And the Italian tactician has succeeded with the help of players that once languished on the bench.

Ancelotti has largely relied on David Alaba and Eder Militao at the back, a move that has paid rich dividends. Real Madrid have conceded lesser goals (16) than the number of matches played (19).

Is defense the only reason for Real Madrid’s dominance? Definitely not! Ancelotti has brought about a tactical rehaul in the way Los Blancos attacks. With striker Karim Benzema enjoying the form of his life, all Ancelotti needed was a player to partner the Frenchman in the front. And 21-year-old Vinicius Jr has emerged as the ultimate choice ever since.

Having played every game, Vinicius has racked up 10 goals and five assists in LaLiga. He and Benzema have combined to score 35 goals in the Spanish top flight. That’s more than any other team has scored in LaLiga this season. Besides, Los Blancos have a dramatic goal tally of 41 goals already.

Meanwhile, Barcelona have had a generational transition with the departure of Messi. Moreover, the untimely retirement of Sergio Aguero and the sacking of Ronald Koeman has had a drastic impact on the club. The Catalan giants currently sit seventh in the league with an 18-point deficit over Real Madrid.

It would indeed be a challenging task for Xavi to ensure a top-four finish, having already dropped down to the Europa League this season. Meanwhile, Simeone has his fingers crossed as he looks to turn the table around against Real Madrid in the second half of the season.