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Amongst the many gripping storylines propping up this season, Real Madrid's renaissance has to be one of the most noteworthy.
Of course it had to happen someday, but few would have predicted it to happen so quickly - especially after the train-wreck of a season that the team was coming off.
Miracle-worker Zinedine Zidane is successfully guiding the club back to its lofty heights. They sit pretty at the top of the table in LaLiga right now, three points clear of rivals Barcelona.
The results have markedly improved, even if they haven't been particularly striking. Several big names have hit a purple patch as the atmosphere around the Bernabeu is once again euphoric.
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If you need data to back these claims, then let's delve through five important stats that point at the significant improvement Real Madrid have shown this term so far:
#5 They have conceded the fewest number of goals in Europe's top 5 leagues
Believe it or not, but Real Madrid currently have a better defensive record than any other side in Europe's top five leagues. Yes, that includes Liverpool.
Los Blancos have leaked only 13 goals from 22 games - exactly half of what holders Barcelona have, and seven fewer than even Atletico Madrid.
If you pit these stats against teams from other leagues too, you won't find a team that can rival Zidane's side.
Even the swashbuckling Liverpool have conceded 15 times, whereas PSG come next in the line of mean defences with only 14 goals let in. Juventus, who've traditionally been a defensive outfit, have conceded 21 times, whereas the fewest number of goals surrendered in the Bundesliga is 23 - jointly by Bayern Munich and Borussia Monchengladbach.
Given Real Madrid's history of defensive malaise, this is a real bonus. They've seriously turned into a mean outfit, and no longer struggle to shut teams out.
The rate at which the Meringues concede goals has fallen dramatically from 1.21 last season to just 0.59 this term. What's also impressive is that these 22 games have produced 12 clean sheets - the most behind PSG, who have maintained 13.
If you needed any further validation of Real Madrid's stoic backline, then let me tell you that the number of shots conceded on target is just an average of 2.62 per 90 minutes - also the lowest in Europe's leading divisions.
An old cliche in football says attack wins you games but defense wins you titles. It looks like the same philosophy is propelling Karim Benzema and Co towards their first league title since 2017.
#4 The attack is more menacing than last year
Defense is not the only department of Real Madrid earning plaudits. The attack has significantly improved too, with Karim Benzema once again leading the charge.
While scoring 40 times from 22 games doesn't sound outstanding, an average of 1.81 goals per game is still an upgrade from the average of 1.65 last season.
The Blancos are certainly playing with a higher intensity this season, having found the shooting boots again. This is also reinforced by the stat that their average of 17.89 shots per game is the highest in the division.
17 different players have scored in the league so far - as much as the whole of last season. So the goals have been more evenly distributed too.
Without Cristiano Ronaldo leading the line, the side's attacking output has expectedly dipped since last season. Yet, the team is slowly but steadily finding its attacking rhythm.
#3 They are unbeaten in 13 games - the best run since 2016
Real Madrid have lost only once in the 22 games so far, and that defeat came on matchday nine. They're unbeaten in the 13 games since - the club's best run since the title-clinching season of 2016-17.
Back then, Los Blancos started the season with a bang, going the first 16 games without a loss. In the intervening years, they haven't gone more than six games without losing.
In what's turning out to be a season of redemption for Zinedine Zidane and his men, the knack of churning out positive results has held them in good stead.
Real Madrid have played the likes of Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Valencia, Sevilla and Real Betis since the defeat to Mallorca - and haven't lose once. In fact, these five fixtures produced four clean-sheets, including the all-important Clasico.
With the second-leg to some of these sides along with trips to Bilbao and Betis still to come, the road could get murky going forward. But all pointers indicate that this Real Madrid side is hard to beat, let alone beat soundly like last year.
#2 They are unbeaten against the 'top six'
In 22 games so far, Real Madrid have played Barcelona, Valencia, Athletic Bilbao and Getafe once, and Sevilla and Atletico Madrid twice.
In each of those games, they came through unscathed and managed to churn out at least a point. In fact, Real's only defeat in the league so far came shockingly to 17th-placed Mallorca, who stunned the visitors with a 1-0 win.
In total, the Whites have accrued 16 points from a possible 24 against the current 'top six' in the division. That's not a seismic number, but nevertheless a massive upturn from the meager nine they accrued last year at the same stage.
The disappointing results of last season in Seville, Barcelona and Getafe were banished with encouraging results this time around. The best return amongst them has to be the El Clasico stalemate, as Blancos drove their eternal rivals to a blank for the first time since 2017.
They still have to face almost all of these sides for the return leg, including the daunting trips to Bilbao and Seville, but the recent record tilts the balance in Real Madrid's favour.
#1 Real Madrid are contending for the title again
Arguably for the first time since winning the league in 2017, Real Madrid are once again contending for the title. And that's perhaps the biggest pointer to the side's marked improvement.
They are three points clear at the top of the table ahead of Barcelona, and look set to push their rivals down to the wire this time.
In all honesty, the Blaugrana benefited from both Madrid teams' struggles in the last two campaigns. LaLiga had become a one-horse race despite numerous unsatisfactory results of their own.
Barcelona were barely troubled by either Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid last season, whereas the title race of 2017-18 lost steam even before the half-way mark.
This season though, the Whites are back in it and LaLiga once again appears to be a contest between the traditional rivals.
They've lost only once so far - the least in the division - and are behind only Liverpool in Europe's primary leagues. Santiago Bernabeu is a fortress again.
Real Madrid's improved results have seen them go seven points better than what they were at this stage last year, and they are seriously pushing for a 34th league title.
