Real Madrid News
Former Real Madrid director delivers damning assessment of the current situation – ‘The team has no leaders’
Former Real Madrid forward and sporting director Predrag Mijatovic has delivered a brutally honest assessment of Real Madrid’s shocking Copa del Rey exit at the hands of Albacete.
The defeat, which came on a night that was supposed to mark a fresh start under Alvaro Arbeloa, instead deepened the sense of crisis engulfing the club.
Madrid’s elimination was not an isolated incident. It followed the loss of the Spanish Super Cup to Barcelona and the dismissal of Xabi Alonso, all within a span of just four days.
Assessment from former forward
Speaking about the situation, Mijatovic offered a clear explanation of how Madrid allowed themselves to fall into this trap.
“In four days, Real Madrid has lost two titles and a coach. This match comes after losing the Super Cup to their eternal rivals.
“You change coaches, the players think they’re playing against an inferior team, that they’re going to take it easy, and this happens.
“In this situation, the only people who can change the course of events are not the coach or the president. It’s the players. There’s no other way to fix it,” said the former footballer.
Problems at Real Madrid
Mijatovic then went even deeper, identifying what he believes is the most worrying issue of all, which is the absence of a true leader.
“I would be more relaxed if there were a Kroos, a Modric, a Ramos, a leader, an old guard in the dressing room who, at a certain moment, would take the young players aside and try to turn things around.”
Driving home his concern, he concluded, “Right now, it’s a team that doesn’t have a specific leader, regardless of what Xabi or Arbeloa think.
“In all the games where Madrid has left this impression, I’ve missed having a figure like that. If they don’t find one, we’ll have a lot of problems.”
Source: Mundo Deportivo
Real Madrid’s adventure so far under new coach Jose Mourinho has been far from perfect and this fact shouldn’t be lost even after the team’s brilliant comeback win over AS Roma in midweek.
However, there are areas where Los Blancos have shown a clear improvement under Mourinho, when compared to previous bosses such as Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa.
One of those areas has been set plays, with Real Madrid appearing far more potent from set pieces this season.
A clear improvement from last season
As reported by Diario AS, the three goals in Rome, all from Arda Guler corners inside a seven-minute blitz, were the perfect advert for the work being done at Valdebebas.
Those strikes took Real Madrid’s set-piece tally to seven goals in just ten matches this season. Four of them have come in La Liga, one from a corner and three from free kicks, with the trio in Rome completing the haul.
It is a striking figure when set against last season’s return. Under Alonso and Arbeloa, Madrid managed 12 set-piece goals across the entire campaign, all in La Liga, split evenly between six from corners and six from free kicks.
On current trends, this side looks well placed to surpass that number comfortably.
The reason behind Real Madrid’s improvement
Attacking set pieces are led at Valdebebas by Pedro Machado, with the whole coaching staff involved and Mourinho himself giving the final green light on every routine.
Defending them, meanwhile, falls to Sami Khedira, though it is treated as a collective effort. Mourinho’s appreciation of that teamwork was clear when Bellingham headed in a Guler free kick against Espanyol, prompting the manager to leap up and embrace his assistants.
Machado, one of Mourinho’s most trusted lieutenants, has followed him from Fenerbahce to Benfica and now Madrid, part of a backroom team blending experience with young, ambitious talent.
On the pitch, Guler is the undisputed master when available, his left foot the key weapon, with Bernardo Silva, Trent Alexander-Arnold and even Diomande also trusted to initiate attacks.
Such meticulous strategy has helped Real Madrid turn into a potent side from set-pieces this season.
