Champions League exit reveals an ugly truth for Real Madrid
The fallout from Real Madrid’s 6-4 aggregate defeat against Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-final will inevitably rumble on for several weeks.
The competition was Madrid’s last realistic route to major silverware in a season which promised a lot, but will ultimately deliver nothing.
Barring a monumental collapse by Barcelona in La Liga, the 15-time European champions will end a second consecutive campaign without a trophy.
With that in mind, read on as we assess the repercussions for Real Madrid, starting with an issue which has been entirely of their own making.
Mbappe has proved to be a curse rather than a blessing
Kylian Mbappe is one of the best forwards in the world. That point is evidenced by his tally of 84 goals in 98 appearances for Los Blancos.
However, his desire to be the ‘main man’ is not only a problem Madrid didn’t need, but one which they could have avoided.
Mbappe scored 256 goals in 308 for Paris Saint-Germain. However, his efforts in front of goal failed to deliver the desired results in the Champions League.
In their first season without the French international in their team, PSG were crowned kings of Europe. They have reached the semi-finals again this season.
By contrast, Mbappe has made Madrid worse. They won La Liga and the Champions League in 20234/24 – since then, they have suffered a series of disappointments.
The 27-year-old’s ego was problematic when he was at PSG, and has continued to upset the equilibrium in Madrid’s dressing room.
Players such as Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior are no shrinking violets, yet are expected to play second fiddle to the ‘Mbappe Show’.
Intriguingly, Madrid looked far more coherent as a team when Mbappe was recently sidelined with a knee injury. With Vinicius and Brahim Diaz leading the line, they were more balanced.
It may seem churlish to question a player who has scored goals for fun in Madrid colours, but it cannot be ignored that they have regressed since signing him.
Arbeloa on shaky ground after Champions League exit
Madrid’s decision to appoint Xabi Alonso as manager last summer appeared to be a sensible decision with SportsView and other major football publications all predicting success for Los Blancos, but he lasted just seven months.
At a club packed with egos and led by president Florentino Perez, the former Bayer Leverkusen boss was always likely to be on a hiding to nothing.
Alonso quickly lost the dressing room, with Vinicius and Federico Valverde amongst the players who publicly expressed disapproval at his methods.
Appointing Alvaro Arbeloa as Alonso’s replacement was no real surprise. He had done well with the club’s youth and ‘B’ teams, so was viewed as a steady pair of hands.
However, the club’s failure to specify the length of his contract when he was placed in charge suggested that they were unsure whether he was the right man for the job.
A record of 13 wins and one draw in 21 matches highlights why Madrid may have been reluctant to confirm whether he was a long-term appointment.
Arbeloa will reportedly be replaced this summer, with Perez seemingly eager to bring in someone with a proven track record of success.
That may be easier said than done given the dearth of viable options currently available.
Madrid’s managerial options are thin on the ground
Alonso seemed to be the ideal fit for Madrid. He was a former player who subsequently enjoyed success as a manager with Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga.
Sacking him after just seven months in charge did not seem like the brightest idea anyone had ever had, and developments this summer may hammer home that point.
Several managers have been linked with the Madrid managerial job including Zinedine Zidane, Jurgen Klopp and Maurico Pochettino.
Perez rates Zidane highly, but he seems destined to replace Didier Deschamps as the French national team manager at the end of the World Cup.
Klopp would be welcomed with open arms at the Santiago Bernabeu, but has demonstrated no desire to leave his position as head of Red Bull’s football operations.
Pochettino could be available after the World Cup, although nothing he has done with the United States national team suggests he is the right option for Madrid.
Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola has been touted as a possibility after the club recently confirmed he will be leaving at the end of the season.
Several pundits believe the 43-year-old is an ‘elite-level’ manager, but whether he is ready to step into the Madrid hot-seat is hugely debatable.
Madrid’s eagerness to pander to egotistical players and dispense with Alonso’s services has created a problem that may find extremely difficult to fix this summer.