Real Madrid’s six-point gap to Barcelona comes with a major historical warning

Real Madrid’s six-point gap to Barcelona comes with a major historical warning Real Madrid’s six-point deficit to Barcelona is hardly insurmountable in September, but history shows just how difficult their task could become if Jose Mourinho’s side allow the gap to grow. Madrid have only once managed to overturn a six-point deficit when Barcelona were leading La Liga , doing so during the remarkable 2006-07 title race under Fabio Capello. The famous 2006-07 comeback The 2006-07 comeback was one of Madrid’s greatest demonstrations of resilience. Capello’s side spent much of the campaign chasing Barcelona, but eventually dragged themselves back into contention during an extraordinary finish. Madrid won nine of their final 10 league matches and finished level with Barça on 76 points. The title went to Madrid because of their superior head-to-head record, completing a comeback that had looked extremely unlikely earlier in the campaign. Fabio Capello’s side enjoyed a comeback of dreams in 2006/07. (Photo credit should read JAVIER SORIANO/AFP via Getty Images) Nearly two decades later, Mourinho’s team already find themselves facing the same six-point gap after only seven league matches. The 2-1 defeat at Atletico Madrid was Madrid’s second La Liga loss of the season after their earlier setback against Real Betis. Barcelona, meanwhile, have started perfectly. Six points is recoverable but the problems matter There is obviously an enormous amount of football remaining. Two matches can account for six points, and there are both El Clasicos still to be played. The current table is far from decisive, but the more concerning issue for Los Blancos is how the points have been dropped. Madrid have struggled for control in midfield, while the Tchouameni-Valverde partnership offers enormous physical strength without always providing the creativity needed to dictate difficult matches. It is no coincidence that Madrid’s best spell of the derby came after Bernardo Silva was brought on, despite them being down a man. Jose Mourinho has a number of problems to address after the international break. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images) Their defence has also been breached in every league game except the victory over Malaga, which is not typical of a Mourinho team. Then there are individual issues. Vinicius Junior has only one goal in 625 minutes, with Yan Diomande increasing the competition on the left. Kylian Mbappe was largely contained against Atletico, while Mourinho is still searching for the right balance between his attacking stars. Madrid can also point towards controversial refereeing decisions, particularly from the derby, but those arguments cannot become a substitute for fixing their own problems. September is too early to panic, even if history suggests that Mourinho has a Herculean task on his hands. It remains to be seen whether Los Blancos fix up after the break, start putting in more consistent performances and avoid letting the gap with Barça widen.