Real Madrid News
Former midfielder identifies Real Madrid’s biggest problem – ‘How do you explain that?’
Real Madrid are staring at the possibility of ending the 2025/26 season without any trophies after back-to-back defeats over the past week.
The 2-1 loss to RCD Mallorca last Saturday left them seven points behind leaders FC Barcelona in the La Liga title race.
A few days later, the Merengues lost to Bayern Munich by the same scoreline in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, leaving their hopes of another European triumph hanging by a thread.
Alvaro Benito on Real Madrid’s problems
Speaking on El Larguero former Real Madrid midfielder Alvaro Benito pointed fingers at the club’s inconsistency as their biggest problem in recent years – highlighting how they have won more Champions League trophies than La Liga titles as evidence for the same.
“Why are there players, like Luka Modric , who have left Real Madrid surprisingly with more Champions League titles than league titles? How do you explain that?” he asked.
Continuing, the former midfielder turned commentator added: “Real Madrid struggle to be consistent and to be a team.
“To win long championships you need to be a team, work as a team and have clear patterns of behaviour where, even on bad days, you win because your collective behaviour is very good and because, obviously, you have more talent than 90% of the rivals you face in La Liga.”
Concluding, Benito stated that Real Madrid have been more reliant on ‘moments’ than consistency in the last 12-15 years, saying:
“If you fulfill your obligations as a team, you’ll win even the matches you play poorly. And Real Madrid , in the last 12 or 15 years, has struggled to be consistent and a cohesive team.
“What’s happened? They’ve had so many good players that, when they’ve focused on short tournaments, on specific moments, they’ve been a team with an outstanding performance that no other team in Europe has had. It’s almost inexplicable.”
Real Madrid News
Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr. admits finishing problem after another frustrating night vs Elche: ‘Can’t miss that much’
Vinicius Jr.’s difficult start in front of goal continued against Elche, and the Real Madrid forward did not need anyone to tell him he had missed another chance to make the difference.
The Brazilian finished the night without a goal despite having chances to get on the scoresheet, while his teammates could only watch from the bench as opportunities went begging.
Jose Mourinho had already identified the problem before kick-off, bluntly pointing to the issue facing his forward, stating, “He’s missing the goal.”
Vini offered an equally frank assessment afterwards.
Rather than hide from another frustrating evening, he accepted responsibility on social media: “The goals will come back; I can’t miss that much…”
Two chances, no finish for Vinicius
Vinicius had two particularly clear openings against Elche, but neither produced the finish Real Madrid needed from their star forward.
The first arrived when he found himself one-on-one with the opposition goalkeeper.
Instead of finding the net, Vinicius caught the ball with the tip of his foot and sent his effort wide. Arda Guler was available during the move and called for the ball, but Vini backed himself to finish the chance.
He had another opportunity after the interval, this time following an excellent pass from Guler during a quick Real Madrid transition. Again, though, Vinicius could not find the target.
His evening ended in the 68th minute, with Mourinho deciding the Brazilian was tired and turning his attention towards Sunday’s Atletico Madrid derby.
Mourinho has a bigger decision to make
The numbers show why Vinicius’ finishing has become a talking point. He managed five shots against Elche, but only one was on target and none found the net.
After seven appearances this season, the Brazilian has scored just once, which is a striking return for a player Real Madrid rely upon to provide a major share of their attacking threat.
Ultimately, though, Real Madrid found another route to victory, with Arda Guler, Kylian Mbappe and Carlos Espi providing the goals in the 3-2 comeback.
