Hello friends, good vibes to all.
Yesterday saw one of the most momentous Clásicos in recent years, and not precisely because of the level of play. After almost 100 years, La Liga was decided by the result of this match, with Barcelona crowned champions at home, defeating their biggest rival, a rival currently experiencing an unprecedented internal crisis. I believe the overall atmosphere surrounding yesterday's game made Barça's victory all the more epic, and therefore, Real Madrid's defeat, although expected by everyone, all the more humiliating. Indeed, yesterday the Blaugrana club sealed Real Madrid's fate, ending a season to forget, perhaps the worst in their history.
The days leading up to the match were extremely eventful and newsworthy at Valdebebas, with reports of fights breaking out in the Real Madrid dressing room: Rudiger vs. Carreras and Tchouaméni vs. Valverde—it was like a kindergarten. Adding to this, Mbappé's somewhat strange and erratic behavior, in my opinion, only exacerbated the situation. Regarding the fights, it's clear there's a lack of leadership behind closed doors. Real Madrid used to be known for having captains with real authority, but that's no longer the case. Valverde is one of the captains, and he's the one at the center of the storm, making this situation unacceptable for the team. And of course, there's the lack of a high-caliber coach. Unfortunately, Arbeloa doesn't have that kind of presence; he's undoubtedly one of the coldest and most soulless coaches to have ever sat on that bench.
And as for Kylian Mbappe, well, for me it makes absolutely no sense. A player who's injured and whose team is still fighting for the league title at that time can't just decide to go to Italy and spend his days on a yacht. There's a time for everything, everything has its timing, but that doesn't seem to matter to him. He comes back from his trip, tries to train to be ready for yesterday's match, and just five minutes before the end of training, he decides he's not going to play because he aggravated his injury. The common denominator here is that he chooses not to participate in big matches, and that's something Real Madrid fans are seeing more and more often. And well, this is a minor detail, but yesterday he posted a photo right when the score was 2-0, when he could have done it at the beginning. Perhaps everything is being blown out of proportion, but the reality is that there seems to be a pattern.
The real and ultimate problem I see as a spectator in all of this is the lack of identity, respect, love, and commitment to the shirt and the club. None of these attitudes are acceptable within a team like Real Madrid. While it's true that Mbappé hasn't done anything particularly noteworthy, that doesn't change the fact that the fans are far from happy with him. And this brings us to the sporting issue, which we've always discussed: does Real Madrid play better without him? Yesterday, this team played terribly, and the Frenchman wasn't even on the pitch. But I think they did this on purpose. Yesterday, Madrid had no soul; nobody ran, nobody pushed, the bench was dejected; the players expected to step up didn't. Vinicius losing a game and the league title, yet reminding Gavi that he has 15 Champions Leagues—incomprehensible. In short, a lot of fighting on the field, but very little football.
It's said that Arbeloa's successor will be José Mourinho, a man who knows how to manage egos and complicated locker rooms, not because of his heavy-handed approach, but because he knows how to connect with the players. He's a very approachable guy who commands respect. I remind you that "Mou" was the one who benched Casillas in favor of Diego López. At first, many didn't understand, but in the end, he was right; Iker simply wasn't at the required level. In other words, he won't hesitate to make the necessary decisions without letting anyone walk all over him (as in the cases of Xabi Alonso and Arbeloa). The conclusion is that the 2025-2026 season was Real Madrid's worst in many years due to a lack of cohesive play, a lack of identity, and a loss of values. And if we add to all this that you lost the League at the home of your number one sporting enemy playing in a lamentable way and with Barcelona scoring two great goals, then it is very valid to say that yesterday Hansi Flick's team took care of sealing the Real Madrid coffin of a disastrous season with the final nail.
¡Un abrazo a todos, nos leemos en la próxima!
Well folks, that's all for today. I hope you enjoyed it.
¡Hugs to everyone, see you next time!