Real Madrid News
Real Madrid legend opens up on club’s disappointing season – ‘You can’t always win in football’
Real Madrid are staring at the possibility of going another season without winning a major trophy.
Having crashed out of the UEFA Champions League at the quarter-final stage last week, Los Blancos are currently nine points behind leaders Barcelona in La Liga, with seven games to be played.
So, unless there is a drastic turnaround of fortunes, the league title also seems out of reach for the Spanish capital heavyweights.
Luis Figo reflects on Real Madrid’s season
Luis Figo, one of Florentino Perez’s former Galacticos, analysed Real Madrid’s season ahead of the Laureus World Sports Awards.
Citing the change of managers midway through the season as a factor for the current situation, the Real Madrid legend said:
“Real Madrid changed coaches, and that has brought instability,” he said.
At the same time, Figo was clear that he did not hold the dressing room at blame for the disappointing season.
“People are always looking for someone to blame, but I’m not in the dressing room. Being one of the best teams in the world, if you don’t win titles in two years, alarm bells start ringing. That’s just how Madrid is; they’re used to winning.
“But you can’t always win in football; it would be very monotonous, and there are other big teams with high aspirations. But at Madrid, the noise is always louder. The players always try to win; losing is worse.”
Further defending the players, he added: “It doesn’t make sense for the dressing room to create problems when you feel so much better when you win.”
Figo on Michael Olise-Real Madrid possibility
One of the major factors in Bayern Munich eliminating Real Madrid from the Champions League this season was the performance of Michael Olise.
As such, the French winger has been linked with a move to the Santiago Bernabeu in the summer, something that Figo believes is unlikely to happen.
“It will be difficult for him to join Real Madrid; he’s already at a very big club in Europe, and it will be complicated for him to leave. It’s clear that he was one of Bayern’s best signings in relation to what he cost,” said Figo.
The former Portugal international also had praise for Olise, highlighting him as one of the candidates for the Ballon d’Or this year.
“He’s an incredible player who made the difference in the tie and is having an amazing year. He’ll soon be one of the favorites to win the Ballon d’Or individually, although the team’s performance also counts. It’s a positive surprise,” he explained.
Source: AS
Bernardo Silva was one of Real Madrid’s headline signings last summer. The Portuguese midfielder arrived on a free transfer from Manchester City and appeared destined to become the creative successor to Toni Kroos and Luka Modric in the middle of the park.
Indeed, with the club having not signed a new central midfielder, many within Real Madrid saw the veteran star as a solution to the issue.
Manager Jose Mourinho made him a starter from the very beginning in pre-season, but not in his usual role on the right. Instead, he deployed his compatriot as a deep-lying playmaker in the midfield double pivot.
A change in circumstances
Silva failed to have the expected influence when operating in a deeper role in midfield in the chances he got.
Combined with the emergence of Arda Guler and Aurelien Tchouameni’s return to fitness, the Portuguese international has now lost his place in the starting line-up and dropped to the bench.
Bernardo’s situation became particularly striking against Villarreal this past Saturday at the Santiago Bernabeu, when he did not play a single minute.
Limited opportunities under Mourinho
Bernardo has played six matches for Real Madrid, starting three and coming on as a substitute in another three.
He did not feature against Villarreal or Elche, while his only appearance in the last three matches was a little over 10 minutes against Atletico Madrid. He was not used regularly by the Portugal national team during the international break either.
Across Real Madrid’s eight La Liga fixtures, Silva has accumulated just 282 minutes of playing time.
The Champions League now presents another opportunity for the former Manchester City captain, who has yet to make his European debut for Real Madrid this season.
He missed the match against Inter Milan because he was still serving a suspension carried over from his time at the Etihad Stadium last season.
It remains to be seen whether Mourinho will give him an opportunity against AS Roma in the coming week.
For now, the midfielder’s reduced playing time suggests that the Portuguese coach has lost some of his faith in a player who arrived with high expectations after leaving Manchester City.
