And then there was one. Or was there?

Real Madrid sits in second place behind Barcelona for the Spanish League title lead, but few would question which is the better team after Saturday's Clasico. And the reality is that except for two poor performances early in the season, Real Madrid is a bonafide powerhouse that is in midseason form just two months into the season.

But are they the best team in Spain?

The Clasico showed everyone around the world something impressive about Real Madrid. The team is laden with superstars and boasts an unmatchable payroll. But if the previous Galactico era proved anything, it is that money does not buy happiness.

In this case, it has. Because Carlo Ancelotti has not only managed to get the most out of the pieces he has been given, but also gotten them to play together.

Barcelona prides itself on the motto "Mes que un club (more than a club)," but Madrid put that idea to practice in its 3-1 trampling of the Catalan club. While Barcelona came out with a 1-0 lead in the opening four minutes of play, Madrid seemed unphased. If anything, the goal gave the team a wake-up call and from that point on it was a heated affair, with each side trading blows. It seemed like a battle of attrition in which the one that could last longer would win it all.

And that turned out to be Madrid.

The Spanish League is a marathon in a way that other leagues are not. The Bundesliga is not even a competitive league at this point as the winner is seemingly predetermined. And England is more of a battle of wits. Everyone is going to lose, but it seems that the eventual champ knows when to pick its poison.

With Spain, the race comes down to two or three teams. It is about knowing how to outlast the opponents because complete domination is impossible. Barcelona, Madrid and Atletico Madrid will always be following one another closely. Losing a step here or there could be costly in the long run.

That is why Madrid looks poised to lift the crown next May. It is still early, but with 33 goals in just nine games (over 3.6 goals per game), the team looks unstoppable.

The offense is arguably better than anyone else's out there. Atletico cannot compete. Barcelona might have its own arsenal of superstars, but Real Madrid's bench suddenly looks deeper. The midfield was a huge question mark after the departure of Xabi Alonso and Angel Di Maria. But who would have thought that James Rodriguez and Isco are making everyone forget about Di Maria while Toni Kroos is showing that he can somehow step into Alonso's shoes? Or how about the sudden emergence of Asier Illarramendi off the bench? And with Sami Khedira nearing a full recovery, the team should be solid in the middle.

The only area where Los Blancos are not particularly strong is at the back. Marcelo is not an ideal fullback as he often gets caught up the pitch and is woeful at tracking back. On the other flank, Alvaro Arbeloa has seemingly re-found his form while Dani Carvajal, the usual right back, has developed defensively.

The middle has been a bit more mixed with Sergio Ramos and Pepe accounting for numerous mistakes early on. But their play in the Clasico was exemplary and the emergence of Raphael Varane -- arguably the best of the trio -- has solidified this position.

And even the much-maligned Iker Casillas is finally getting his act together after a mediocre start to the year.

Barcelona cannot boast as good a defense as the Clasico and performance against Paris Saint-Germain proved. Goaltending is slightly better, but if Casillas regains his best form consistently then it could be even or in favor of Madrid.

Atletico has looked good defensively, but the team struggles to score consistently -- unless they are playing Malmo. They only have 15 goals in nine matches.

Sevilla is also sitting pretty alongside Barcelona and has found a way to put wins together. But the team has only scored 17 goals and conceded nine in the process -- Madrid has 33 scored and 10 against. More importantly, they have yet to prove themselves against top teams. Against Valencia the team drew 1-1 at home. When Sevilla visited Atletico Madrid, it was destroy 4-0.

The team has yet to play Barcelona, Real Madrid, Villarreal or Malaga.

So, as it stands, Real Madrid is seemingly heads and shoulders above everyone else. The team's play, powered by the irresistible Cristiano Ronaldo, is unstoppable at the moment. The goalscoring is coming mainly from him, but as the Clasico indicated, it can come from others.

Madrid is the top team in Spain. It should win the League in seven months' time.