Real Madrid News
Report – The two things Real Madrid hierarchy blames for trophyless season
It has been another forgettable season for Real Madrid as they will now go two years without winning a major trophy.
After a positive start under Xabi Alonso, things unravelled as there was a falling out in the dressing room, leading to poor results, which ended up with him being sacked in January.
In came Alvaro Arbeloa, promoted from Castilla, and things never looked on track despite there being a few bright moments here and there.
The Real Madrid players have faced a lot of flak from the media, pundits, and fans as well, with almost every member of the squad being whistled at by the Madridistas at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Squad not at blame
However, according to Onda Cero (h/t Madrid Zone), the Real Madrid hierarchy believes that the players in the squad are excellent and should not be blamed for the disappointing season.
Instead, the upper management at the club is pointing fingers at two particular things for going without a major trophy for a second season in a row – bad physical preparation and errors in choosing the head coach.
Injuries have been a bane for Real Madrid, with the squad dealing with as many as 51 fitness problems throughout the campaign.
Given the situation, Los Blancos made some changes midway through the season, bringing in Antonio Pintus back as the first-team fitness coach and installing Dr. Niko Mihic as the head of the medical department.
More changes could be on the cards in the medical staff once the season ends.
As for the decision in choosing the coaches, Florentino Perez acknowledges he made a mistake and has made it a point to make the call on the next appointment by himself.
After all, neither Alonso nor Arbeloa has worked according to plan for Real Madrid this season.
Jose Mourinho is looking for solutions to Real Madrid’s problems, and the extended international break has given him time to analyse the team in depth.
Now, according to Defensa Central, one of the conclusions from his assessment concerns Jude Bellingham, Federico Valverde, Bernardo Silva and Arda Guler, the players Mourinho believes should be central to the team’s football.
Although they operate in different positions, the manager wants all four to take a step forward on the pitch.
He wants them to push their lines higher and move closer to the opposition penalty area, believing this would help Real Madrid both defensively and offensively.
Mourinho wants to pin opponents inside their own box
Mourinho wants Real Madrid’s play to go through Bellingham, Valverde, Bernardo and Guler, but he has also asked them to start creating attacks much closer to the opposition area and to link up more closely with the forwards.
The idea is to make the team more compact in possession and force opponents deeper into their own half.
If Real Madrid’s midfield can build play much higher up the pitch, opponents will have to retreat. That would allow Mourinho’s side to improve their pressing, make it more effective and increase the volume of attacks.
As a result, Real Madrid should create considerably more opportunities to score.
A compact Real Madrid for 90 minutes
Mourinho wants his team to stay together and remain compact throughout the full 90 minutes, rather than doing so only in short periods.
Defensively, this would reduce the spaces available for opponents to build their attacks and could force them to play more directly, looking to exploit the space behind the defensive line.
That is an area where the pace and defensive ability of Marc Cucurella and Denzel Dumfries, alongside Aurelien Tchouameni, can provide protection.
The same compactness could also benefit Real Madrid in attack by keeping opponents pinned back. Mourinho wants to use the quality of his players to create a greater number of dangerous situations.
Mourinho’s idea is that Real Madrid’s most talented players must push the team forward and help them put opponents under pressure much closer to the box.
