Real Madrid News
How Real Madrid have been hurt by their last-minute woes in matches this season
It has not been the best of seasons for Real Madrid, whose only hope of fighting for the league title suffered a massive blow when they were held to a draw by Real Betis.
The Spanish giants were leading for the major part of the proceedings, but a late goal in injury time from former Arsenal man Hector Bellerin meant Alvaro Arbeloa’s men only had to settle for a point.
This was not the first time Real Madrid had to drop points because of their lack of concentration during the final minutes of matches.
Real Madrid have a serious problem
As pointed out by Defensa Central, Real Madrid have conceded late goals in four of their last six matches, a run that spans fixtures against Betis, Alaves, Bayern Munich and Mallorca.
Three of those goals came in stoppage time, with the Mallorca strike proving enough to hand the hosts all three points and the Betis equaliser costing Real Madrid two.
The Bayern Munich goal, of course, carried even greater consequences, notably contributing to their elimination from the Champions League.
Moreover, with the exception of Bayern Munich, all of the teams that punished Real Madrid in the closing stages are considerably weaker on paper.
This draws a damning parallel with the final months of Carlo Ancelotti’s tenure and the early part of the season under Xabi Alonso.
Arbeloa has shown flashes of getting the best out of players like Vinicius, Valverde and Brahim at various points, but the team has visibly unravelled in recent weeks.
There is little doubt within the club that Arbeloa will not be in charge next season. The search for his replacement is already underway, with various names under consideration.
Recent reports suggest Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is a huge fan of AC Milan boss Massimiliano Allegri, although Jurgen Klopp remains the preferred pick.
In a major update, AS reports that former Real Madrid midfielder and club legend Toni Kroos has taken his first step towards starting his coaching career.
The former Germany international has told the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) that he is interested in joining the coaching course reserved for professional footballers.
Real Madrid tried to bring Kroos back
It is no secret that Real Madrid considered bringing Toni Kroos back into the club’s structure after the end of the last season.
The club president, Florentino Perez, had wanted Kroos to have a daily presence at Valdebebas rather than making occasional appearances after his retirement.
Jose Angel Sanchez and Kroos spoke after Perez expressed his desire to see the German working at Valdebebas every day. However, they did not find the right moment, time or structure to give his return a clear form.
A comeback remains one of the possibilities most desired by Madrid supporters because of Kroos’ charisma and what he represents at the Santiago Bernabeu. Neither side wanted him to return simply for the sake of it, so the door remains open for the future.
The relationship between the two parties is excellent, and both know that the opportunity to work together again will eventually come.
Taking it step by step
For now, Kroos continues to run the academy he established in Boadilla, enjoying the opportunity to help develop younger players.
After two years away from the competitive side of football, however, he is beginning to look towards the dugout as a possible next step in his career.
Kroos currently holds coaching qualifications that allow him to work up to the third tier of Spanish football.
This is possible because professionals with at least seven years of proven experience and significant involvement at the elite level can gain direct access to accelerated coaching courses.
That means Kroos could coach a team in Primera Federacion, but the German wants to take things gradually.
Kroos has already informed the RFEF that he would be interested in joining the coaching course reserved for professional footballers during the 2027/28 season.
The course taking place this season is not available to elite former players, with UEFA limiting each campaign to 20 places.
With his current qualifications, Kroos could work as an assistant coach, but he cannot yet take charge as a head coach in either the top flight or the Segunda División.
But completing that programme would allow Kroos to obtain the UEFA A licence, which would enable him to coach teams at any level.
