Real Madrid stumbled again in the UEFA Champions League and the blow was harder than expected. The defeat against Benfica left the white team out of the top eight in the group stage, forcing them to play an extra knockout round to stay alive in the continental tournament. This scenario set off all the alarm bells at Real Madrid and provoked one of the harshest editorials ever seen on Spanish television.
The person in charge of focusing on the crisis was Josep Pedrerol, who on the program ‘Jugones’ carried out an uncompromising analysis of the moment the club is going through, pointing directly to the attitude of the team and the lack of leadership from the bench.
Mbappe’s words sparked Pedrerol’s criticism
After the match, Kylian Mbappe tried to explain the defeat by saying that it was “a matter of desire”. A phrase that did not sit well with the Catalan journalist, who used it as a starting point for his most forceful editorial.
“A matter of desire? What do you mean by desire? Does that mean that Madrid took to the field with less desire than Benfica?” questioned Pedrerol, visibly annoyed. For the presenter, such statements reflect a much deeper problem: the competitive disconnection of a team that has historically been characterized by its winning mentality in Europe.
Pedrerol points to the lack of character and leadership on the bench
Beyond the result, Pedrerol’s analysis went straight to the heart of the sporting project. The journalist made it clear that Real Madrid fans can forgive technical or tactical errors, but not a lack of attitude.
“The fans forgive mistakes, of course, but they never forgive carelessness, indolence, or passivity.”
“The fans forgive mistakes, of course, but they never forgive carelessness, indolence, or passivity,” he said bluntly. In this context, he sent a direct message to the current coach: “Arbeloa, don’t be another Xabi Alonso,” referring to a style that, in his view, prioritizes discourse over demand.
“Mourinho is needed here”, the message that shook Real Madrid
The closing of the editorial was as clear as it was explosive. Pedrerol called for a radical change in the management of the dressing room and put on the table a name that always generates debate at the Bernabeu.
Real Madrid need Mourinho
“Here we need a Mourinho. Here we need Mourinho,” he said. For the journalist, Real Madrid needs a tough coach, capable of managing egos, demanding maximum commitment and returning to the team the competitive character that it seems to have lost.
The message is already resonating among fans: beyond the names and talent, Madrid are once again facing an old question in Europe: who really runs this team?
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