The year 2018 arrived. As the winter transfer window heated up, major shocks continued to rock European football.
But amid the storm of this arms race, Real Madrid made no moves, remaining focused primarily on their matches.
Because Real Madrid were competing on multiple fronts, they would play twenty matches over the next seventy days. That meant two full matches every week, with no time to rest—a tremendous test for the team.
However, Real Madrid had long possessed ample experience with such a packed schedule. Over the past few years, they had always continued competing on multiple fronts, giving the team sufficient mental preparation to deal with this grueling run of fixtures.
The only trouble was that the squad's depth had clearly weakened this season. On top of that, several key players were already over thirty and had grown another year older, adding more uncertainty for Real Madrid.
On January 4, in the fifth round of the Copa del Rey, Real Madrid traveled to face Numancia.
Real Madrid once again fielded a lineup centered around substitutes and young players. In the end, goals from Mbappé, Isco, and Mayoral gave them a 3–0 away victory over Numancia.
After winning away from home, Real Madrid had essentially secured qualification in advance.
On January 7, in the eighteenth round of La Liga, Real Madrid traveled to face Celta Vigo.
Because the team had undergone intensive fitness training during the winter break, Real Madrid were clearly not at their sharpest in this match. As a result, they struggled to find their rhythm after kickoff.
In the thirty-third minute, Celta Vigo launched a counterattack. Aspas sent a diagonal pass during the break, and Wass chipped the ball into the net from the edge of the penalty area.
That goal completely woke