BACK-TO-BACK CLEAN SHEETS HIGHLIGHT STRONG PROGRESS

Quique Sánchez Flores and his players continue to explore a path that has managed to move the team away from immediate danger. Four games ago, we found ourselves just one point off the relegation plaecs, but now sit seven points clear of the drop zone. While against Atlético the team built upon the attacking power we saw in Vallecas, and managed to combine it with greater defensive strength, Saturday night's in Mestalla we saw the best version of the backline was seen again, supported by an unstoppable Nyland in goal.

The team has now gone 242 minutes without conceding a goal since Rayo's equaliser at the half-hour mark during our 2-1 victory. The two clean sheets in the matches since mark the first time we have kept out the opposition in consecutive games since September, after we recorded our first win of the season against Las Palmas, then followed it up with a 0-0 draw away to Osasuna. Looking a little further afield, the only two goals conceded in the last four games mean an average of 0.5 per game, a far cry from the 1.67 goals conceded on average over the previous 21 games.

This security at the back has led to the best points haul of the season so far. Although the team remained unbeaten between matchdays 9 and 13, that run consisted only of draws against Rayo, Madrid, Cádiz, Celta and Betis. We're currently enjoying a streak of two wins and two draws, amassing eight points out of a possible 12. You have to go back to just before our final last May in Budapest to find a run like that. Specifically, from 4th to 24th May, with wins over Espanyol (3-2) and Valladolid (0-3), which were followed by draws against Betis (0-0) and Elche (1-1). A huge test to the players' resolve comes this Sunday as they travel to the Santiago Bernabéu to take on the league leaders.