But then last week, after two defeats and a draw that saw them out of the Copa del Rey and their La Liga lead cut in half, the season was over for Zinedine Zidane's team, judging by the tone of the Madrid media.

Their victory last Sunday over Real Sociedad, right after their most direct competitors in La Liga failed to win their respective matches, widened their advantage to four points and a game in hand, so now the general sentiment seems to point at a comfortable La Liga title for the Madridistas.

However, there is still much left to be played, and a couple of results going one way or the other can change not only the situation in terms of points, but more importantly the mood in each dressing room.

"Football is a state of mind," says Jorge Valdano, and such a high-level definition can explain several team performances, be it unexpected wins, shocking defeats or even unprecedented title runs, such as Leicester's victory in last season's Premier League.

That is why the way that Real Madrid and especially Zidane reacted to the first few setbacks after their 40-match unbeaten run is concerning. Rather than cooling down the heated spirits, making a sincere self-appraisal and adjusting the side, the French manager looked nervous, irritated with the new sequence of injuries and even downright delusional, especially assessing his team's performance after their Copa del Rey exit in Vigo.

The loaded February schedule takes Real Madrid back to Vigo, where they will meet again with Celta on Sunday. The rest of the month includes trips to Pamplona -- to face the struggling Osasuna -- a quite tough one to Villarreal and another demanding one against Valencia. At the Bernabeu, Zidane's team will host Espanyol and Las Palmas in La Liga and Napoli in the round of 16 in the Champions League.

That is seven matches in four weeks and had they qualified the Copa del Rey semifinals, it would have been a whopping nine.

The good news? While Barcelona and Atletico Madrid fight for a place in the final of that tournament, Real Madrid can rest for a couple of Wednesdays, recover some injured players and try to correct what went wrong in the last two weeks.

Some issues are hard to eliminate, as injuries have played a big part in the reduction of the team's intensity. Despite Nacho's consistency and Danilo's wilful, but unreliable performances, they both are a significant downgrade from starters Marcelo and Daniel Carvajal. Luka Modric adds an inventiveness to the side that the ever-improving Mateo Kovacic can't match yet. And even though his name has not been mentioned in months, the absence of Gareth Bale is a huge gap to fill, as any team would miss their strongest attacking weapon.

Up to the beginning of January, Zidane had been able to compensate most physical setbacks with a creative management of his bench, with an upbeat, constructive, contagious attitude that led his players to compete and perform well match after match.

Paraphrasing Valdano, the French manager needs to recover that state of mind and keep it up even when a defeat comes. Indeed they will come, and the team's ability to react correctly to every hitch will define their ability to end this season successfully.