Before the season began for Real Madrid, the outlook was bright. The arrival of an old acquaintance, with fresh ideas and an unbeatable present after winning the championship in the Bundesliga, unbeaten with Bayern Leverkusen. With a fearsome squad, with three of the most unbalanced players in attack: Vini, Mbappe and Rodrygo.
But the reality is that Xabi Alonso does not seem to convince, and although Mbappe is enjoying his best goalscoring streak, Vinicius is becoming less and less decisive and Rodrygo seems to have one foot out of Madrid.
Self-criticism in the Real Madrid dressing room
Beyond the results, what worries the club is the feeling that the team has lost part of its competitive identity. The heavy 5-2 defeat at the Metropolitano not only set alarm bells ringing, but also opened up an internal debate about attitude, concentration and the wear and tear of a plan that seemed solid under Xabi Alonso, but now shows cracks.
While Xabi clings to tactical analysis, a more direct discourse emerged within the dressing room. Fede Valverde, one of the most respected players in the group, was blunt after the defeat:
We can fail in many things, but the attitude is not negotiable. These are things that cannot happen at Real Madrid
Aurelien Tchouameni defends Xabi Alonso
The French midfielder reinforced this view and, at the same time, defended the coach. When asked about the lack of strength in recent matches, he said:
The Frenchman insisted that the team lost intensity and that this lack of aggressiveness explains several of the current problems. He was also clear about the defeat against Celta:
If we don’t play with maximum intensity it will be difficult to win… It’s not the coach’s fault. We have to improve and we will do it
Is Real Madrid in crisis?
For a club with the highest level of demand, the slightest slip can be grounds for questioning, and the Merengues have had several of them. However, in LaLiga they are in second place, four points behind Barcelona, while in the Champions League they are in sixth place, still with the possibility of securing a place in the top eight, so the season is far from a disaster. However, patience is not usually a quality that stands out in the Madrid boardroom, so Xabi Alonso and his team will have to turn the page as soon as possible, starting with the match against Manchester City in the Champions League, which could completely change the course of Los Blancos.
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