Eighteen seasons have come and gone since Barcelona and Atlético de Madrid both managed to finish a La Liga campaign laughing hysterically at a bumped and bruised Real Madrid laying somewhere beneath the dog pile. The year was 1996, a year in which Atleti were crowned champions with a mild collection of 87 points. Nowhere near the rich sum of rewards Spain’s “Big Two” have come to imperiously sow in the last half decade, each breaking the 100-point barrier in the past two go-rounds. It was a time when Barcelona could only manage third while the dented armor of iconic Real lay in a dismantled heap in 6th place, 17 points off the victor’s pace. Above Arsenio Iglesias’ poor excuse for a Real Madrid were also Valencia in second, RCD Espanyol at fourth, and Tenerife, the crown jewel of Canaries, in fifth.

Unlikely as it may seem to a forthcoming fan of the Spanish game, Tenerife even laid claim to the season’s top scorer on 31 La Liga goals – a name you’ve recently seen in the headlines, Juan Antonio Pizzi. The Argentine-born Spanish international was handed the sticky reins at Valencia on Boxing Day in the quickly fading shadow of Miroslav Djukic whose tame interpretation of Los Che currently occupy 11th place tied on 20 points with three other clubs. Certainly a runners-up consolation like the one from May ‘96 isn’t shuffled into the deck this season for the East coast club but the next chapter in the Valencia story is hastily looking to turn the page from their latest home defeat at the hands of Real Madrid 3-2.

As for the Bernabéu, its walls have witnessed all brands of madness since that want-away season 18 years ago – three European Cups, a spoiled centenary celebration, galácticos I and II, a dusty drought under iron fist of Pep Guardiola, and the arrival and departure of ‘The Special One.’ Yet the yuletide cheer must have taken a bit more effort to muster for madridistas this holiday season, five points loose of two villains locally and nationally. Not a white Christmas by any stretch. Even with Cristiano Ronaldo’s form testing the limits of thermometers the world over, Carlo Ancelloti’s men have lost ground to make up for, especially having dropped a result a piece to the respective stripes in first and second.

Much like last season, Madrid tend to flinch at away grounds and early unrecoverable points left to decay at El Madrigal, Camp Nou, and most recently at Osasuna’s El Sadar are the difference between third and first. However, the matters could be much worse if you’ve been watching Los Blanco’s closely. Ronaldo sealed a 96th minute win at Elche back in late September via a dubious penalty. The late show was on again in Levante on October 5th when substitute Álvaro Morata and CR7 both scored from 90 minutes onward when it appeared the white outfit were condemned to a fruitless journey East by the ways of Nabil El Zhar’s 86th minute goal. 3-2 it finished, headlines being altered frantically by every journalist in attendance to make deadline. Madridistas will put it down to madridismo, Cules will allege an officiating scandal, and the rest of the world will probably see it as just dumb luck; but that’s football, right?

Nevertheless, if Madrid are going to keep their name in the hat for the La Liga crown, they’ll need to concentrate on solidifying their spasmodic away performances. Of course it isn’t always easy to be the away team in white despite the payroll, the prestige, and the personnel. In various situations, that means nothing. Not that the supporters care any less! Spain is already overwhelmed by the idea that is morbo (expertly described in Phil Ball’s book of the same title), the turmoil that continues brew and bubble based on a menu of variables of which include regionalism, politics, history, and never-ending controversial football related episodes that more or less throw bombs on into the proverbial turbulent volcano, morbo. With Madrid at the center of the country and hence therefore the center of the chaos and embroilment, other clubs, supporters, and even some referees (a few bravely claim) have it out for them.

For example if Almería are away to Espanyol, the low profile fixture may not cause such a stir as Real Madrid on an away trip to Athletic Bilbao where supporters may gather throughout the night outside the thin walls of the team’s hotel to sing and keep them sleepless on the eve before the match. It can happen anywhere to any team or any player - provocative songs, an air-raid of coins and bottles being hurled down the terraces at opposition’s corner takers but because of what Real Madrid has added to the idea that is morbo, they’re the most likely to suffer from it. Spanish football is a river delta of subplots that can never be totally mastered by a single man.

It’s no secret that the consistency of Real Madrid’s performances will have to tip-toe the line of perfection in the new year if they wish to reel in the two big fish. In recent memory, La Liga has been labeled a top-heavy league with irrefutable vindication. Though the dynamic has changed slightly this year with the reemergence of Atleti, the phenomenon has only added more stuffing to the canopy. As much as Diego Simeone dares to deflect the favorites tag by the means of pulling the ‘we can’t compete financially with likes of Barca and Real’ card, even he must know at this point in the campaign that this form isn’t by chance.

Perhaps what’s most drawing to Atlético Madrid’s current época, is the style of play in which they have cracked the seamless fortress guarding La Liga’s top twoplaces. It’s not tiki-taka; it’s not avalanching counter attacks. It’s merely solid players who believe in the system, the manager, and most importantly the cause. You might not put all their goals into a Match of the Day advert (Diego Costa my argue otherwise) but the shrill force and will power with a pinch of under-complication is only matched by the blue collar work ethics for those draped in colochnero stripes. It’s a surety Madrid’s “working class” supporters feel a sense of fan manifestation in their team. Said in quotes because the city’s true working class club is Rayo Vallecano.

Tata Martino and Barcelona must be feeling the heat from the capital even if it’s burning from a different furnace. Despite Barcelona finishing the holiday break with new record of 55 consecutive match days at the league’s summit, Atleti have matched the Catalan club almost step for step, tied on 46 points and only separated by two goals in the differential column. The pair will clash on the banks of Madrid’s River Manzanares for the first time in La Liga this season on January 11th setting up what could be a final-weighted return leg in Barcelona on the last match day of the season scheduled for the weekend of May 18th.

Meanwhile, the Bernabéu faithful will be hungrily waiting with salivating tongues to pick up the points left behind. It’s a doable job looking at the fixture calendar. The upcoming four domestic league fixtures are as follows for Los Blancos:

Celta Vigo (Home)
RCD Espanyol (Away)
Real Betis (Away)
Granada (Home)

One would expect 12 points if you frequently are wearing a white or lilac-colored scarf when the weekend rolls around. Having spoken about Real’s away tendencies, the club should still be able to handle bottom Betis no matter where match is held at given the Verdiblanco’s sad form. Espanyol is in 9th on 22 points sitting on the itchy cushion of the four clubs with 20 but on the whole of things will probably be the most testing of the bunch. Granada and Celta are duking it out below the fold and will be lamenting their respective fixtures in the white house.

January is set to be another to remember with transfer rumors whizzing around like automobiles from The Jetsons. However, Florentino Perez has squashed any talk of dressing up the squad with any more names this season. Shouldn’t the duo of Bale and Ronaldo be enough? That is when Bale is healthy, right? Di María is playing more than above the grade since his place in the team has been put in jeopardy with new competition but the same cannot be said for Karim Benzema. The Frenchman’s performances this season have been patchy by his own standards, brilliant one weekend and invisible the next. Ancelotti has been attempting to utilize promoted attacking youths, Jesé and Morata, but to some limit. Jesé has been deployed in more of a wide role while cantera buddy Morata hasn’t seen the time he would have been hoping for this season. Whispers of a loan move for the 21-year old to the Premier League have been inching up in decibels as the January window edges closer. But if Perez sticks to his word, it will be Ancelotti who is “hunting with his cat” as Mourinho would have put it.

Suárez talk has been circulating the tabloids but looks increasingly unlikely with the form he is in, not to mention the new deal he just penned for Liverpool. In lieu of it frequently seeming like a quick fix, maybe more players aren’t what Madrid need after all. The club can’t buy consistency in the window but by achieving it elsewhere, perhaps the domestic crown isn’t lost. With their next matches in a line like dominos, the remainder of the winter break to heel up injuries to key performers, and leaders to take points off each other, why can’t Madridistas believe that the stars could align for them in 2014?