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Real Madrid face daunting four-match away run that could define their season

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Jose Mourinho, Manager of Real Madrid
Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images

Real Madrid are approaching one of the most demanding stretches of their season, with Jose Mourinho’s side facing four consecutive away matches.

This includes trips to Barcelona and Valencia, which could have major consequences for their La Liga and Champions League ambitions.

As such, Real Madrid will spend almost a month away from the Bernabeu after hosting RB Leipzig on 21 October.

Their next four fixtures will take them to Barcelona, Racing Santander, AEK Athens and Valencia before another international break.

Four away matches, four major tests

The difficult sequence begins with the Clasico at the Camp Nou on 25 October, a particularly important encounter given Barcelona’s current six-point advantage in the league.

Madrid then travel to Racing Santander on 1 November before visiting AEK Athens in the Champions League on 4 November.

Santiago Bernabeu, Real Madrid stadium
Santiago Bernabeu has proven to be a difficult place for opponents to travel to. (Photo by Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images)

The run concludes with a trip to Mestalla, arguably Madrid’s last ever, to face Valencia immediately after.

Most worryingly for Madrid, there is also a concerning precedent.

Last season’s collapse offers a warning

Madrid experienced a similar period away from home last season, when Xabi Alonso’s side played six consecutive away matches and managed just two victories.

They entered that difficult stretch five points ahead of Barcelona but emerged one point behind their rivals.

Defeats and disappointing draws gradually destroyed their momentum, with the team struggling to reproduce its home performances on the road.

The situation was made worse by consecutive defeats against Celta and Manchester City once Madrid finally returned to the Bernabeu.

Jose Mourinho, Manager of Real Madrid
Jose Mourinho will have to navigate the next month carefully at Real Madrid. (Photo by Francisco Macia/Getty Images)

Mourinho will be determined to avoid such a situation this time around.

Mourinho has an opportunity to change Madrid’s away mentality

The upcoming fixtures should provide Mourinho with the chance to make his Madrid team more adaptable.

At the Bernabeu, Madrid can often impose themselves through attacking quality and sustained pressure.

Away from home, particularly against aggressive opponents, controlling the rhythm becomes much harder and their early season record reflects that.

The Clasico will naturally dominate attention, but the visits to Racing and Valencia will be important in ensuring the gap to Barça does not increase.

If Mourinho can guide his team through these four matches with strong results, it would set them up for a strong rest of the season.

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Real Madrid News

Tebas launches fresh attack on Real Madrid: ‘Their methods recall Goebbels’ propaganda techniques’

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Javier Tebas, La Liga president
Photo by Miguel Tovar/Getty Images

La Liga president Javier Tebas has launched another attack on Real Madrid TV following the latest disputes involving the Spanish club, the refereeing community, the disciplinary bodies of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and the league. 

The tensions centre on Vinicius Jr.’s red card, the four-match suspension imposed on the Brazilian and the timing of its announcement, as well as Real Madrid’s dissatisfaction with the scheduling of their upcoming fixture against Valencia. 

In a series of comments, Tebas accused Real Madrid’s leadership of coordinating a campaign that portrays the club as a victim of unfair treatment.

He also drew a controversial comparison between the methods used by Real Madrid TV and propaganda techniques employed by Joseph Goebbels, Nazi Germany’s minister of propaganda. 

“The management of Real Madrid directs an orchestra of spokespersons, and Real Madrid TV leads the way. The score is always the same: select the incidents that suit their interests, repeat the grievance, fuel suspicion and identify the enemies,” he wrote.

Continuing, he added: “This method recalls propaganda techniques exploited by Goebbels, the propaganda minister of Nazi Germany: systematic repetition, the creation of an enemy and the subordination of facts to a narrative.

“The comparison is with those propaganda techniques, not with an ideology and, of course, not with Real Madrid supporters.”

Tebas accuses Real Madrid TV of presenting a one-sided narrative 

The La Liga president went on to describe Real Madrid TV as a central component of what he sees as the club’s strategy. 

“Real Madrid TV is a central part of that machinery. Where is the comprehensive analysis of every match each week? Where are the possible errors that harm other clubs or those that benefit Real Madrid?”

Continuing, he wrote: “If they applied the same scrutiny to every match, perhaps the results would spoil their script. But the script requires Real Madrid always to appear as the victim.

“The same technique is now being applied to fixture scheduling: they highlight what feeds the grievance and conceal the context that would allow it to be checked.”

Tebas also challenged Real Madrid’s complaints about the dates and kick-off times assigned to their matches, arguing that the club had benefited from numerous scheduling adjustments in the past. 

“How many requests to change kick-off times and dates has Real Madrid submitted, and how many have been granted? In this category, they are top of the table.

“Let the accepted requests be published too. They should not report only the one that suits them when constructing the latest controversy,” he said. 

Bernabeu events and fixture scheduling under scrutiny 

Javier Tebas, La Liga president
Tebas launches another attack at Real Madrid. (Photo by Arnold Jerocki/Getty Images For Sportel)

Tebas also brought the Santiago Bernabeu’s event schedule into the debate, arguing that Real Madrid’s requests for adjustments to the football calendar should be considered alongside the benefits the club has received. 

“And requests relating to the calendar to facilitate events permitted under the ‘super-licence’ at the Santiago Bernabeu should also be included,” the La Liga chief stated.

“When it comes to asking the competition to accommodate their needs, they show plenty of initiative. When it comes to acknowledging the requests that have been granted, their memory is considerably less reliable,” he said. 

Tebas insisted that a complete account of the situation should include every request made by Real Madrid, the decisions taken and the reasons behind them. 

“That is the record that needs to be published: what Real Madrid requested, what was granted and what could not be accommodated, together with the reasons.

“Kick-off times also affect opponents, other clubs, supporters and the competition’s broadcasting commitments.

“A request does not become a right simply because it comes from Real Madrid, just as a refusal does not prove persecution. La Liga is defending its competition,” he explained. 

He concluded by criticising the club for presenting disagreements over scheduling as evidence of unfair treatment. 

“What is not credible is to request adjustments to match days, kick-off times and the calendar, then present every disagreement as proof that La Liga is harming the club. If they want to discuss the treatment they have received, they should tell the whole story.” 

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