Real Madrid’s dressing room is healthy, there are no lazy ones… but it’s a powder keg with too much noise and four fires | Relief

Real Madrid’s crisis and the tense atmosphere in Valdebebas were now given vent and confirmed by defeats to Barça (0-4) and Milan (1-3), who were nine points behind the La Liga leaders and very far behind in the standings . Champions (17th place). But the problems and the smell of a powder keg in the locker room come from the past. Relevo readers have been warned.

October 24, before the Classics, A mistrust has emerged that is already beginning to penetrate into the home of physical training coach Antonio Pintus. A day later it was time list the problems that Ancelotti found so that he has not yet found the key and, later, his plans to try to force Mbappe to play Jordan’s role in defensive duties, as Luis Enrique demanded of him at the time, rather than Romario. After the score 0:4 against the eternal opponent, it became known that Chuameni was left without support and for the first time was put on the market. And besides, hair and marks I’m tired of Florentino Perez with the game, Bellingham’s role (which curiously changed in the last match…) and the lack of faith in Guler and Endrik. Now the whistles at the Bernabeu only emphasized the predicted tidal wave.

The dressing room, as the Italian coach himself admitted yesterday after the 1:3 score in Europe, is “healthy”.although the details can be clarified. The fact that there are no big bosses like in the past, with Raul, Casillas, Salgado, Guti and later Ramos and Cristiano, forces the group to outweigh individuals. There is a certain camaraderie, group dinners continue to be held, and they now even play padel tennis together. But another thing is that “players are not lazy.”

There are nuances. At the stand, the general impression was that there are exceptions and Mbappe is the focus. For most, a lack of intensity, commitment and solidarity in winning the ball back and covering gaps is the key to a team pulling away and conceding so much to their opponents. But this is just one of the details that in just a few months has completely changed the expression on the players’ faces.

The club’s concern and decision-making at management level also permeated the dressing room and became the source of this new normal. Moreover, a serious problem with concerts at the Santiago Bernabeu became known, due to which Real Madrid suspended performances until at least March, and general director José Angel Sanchez was forced to appear in court to give explanations after complaints from neighbors. Without meaning to, this blow was visible on the faces of Florentino Perez and his most loyal squires. It is felt that this significant loss of revenue could have an impact on the sports sector in the short term. The fact that offers are already starting to be handed out for players that until recently were inconceivable is more than a gesture.

Plus, all the turmoil surrounding the Ballon d’Or not being awarded to Vinicius last week in favor of Rodrygo didn’t help unite the group either. Emilio Butragueno, Carlo Ancelotti and even some players, including Bellingham, wanted to go to Paris for the gala to represent the club, justify the greatness of the organization, demonstrate sportsmanship and, incidentally, receive awards or at least receive awards . thank you for the nominations and the opportunity to fulfill the publicity commitments they made that surrounded this event. Florentino’s decision that he will not go to anyone This act was respected but not shared. And this hidden discomfort remained in Ciudad Deportiva.

Everything weighs and comes together

However, while what happens off the field always affects professionals, In the confusion that exists in Valdebebas, it is sport that carries more weight. Ancelotti, in addition to being one of the perpetrators, is also one of the victims. According to several witnesses, an ego grew around him, based on titles and headlines praising some of his employees, and this meant that many meetings in which he had previously always had a leading voice now became idiosyncratic meetings. Everyone has an opinion and many are confused. This, together with Florentino Perez’s tastes, layouts and some decisions that he himself worries about getting them where they need to go, sank Carletto in a sea of ​​doubts when choosing. It’s good that he discovered the problem himself and decided to go back to what worked: impose your mentality and succeed or die with your ideas and approaches.

There is some confusion in terms of football. Sometimes by pure chance: Injuries have disrupted the locker room and increased uncertainty. And there are also external factors: Arabia does not cease to make noise with continuous proposals to certain pillars, as it happens with Rüdiger and as with Vinicius it becomes unbearable. Although the Brazilian has in mind only and exclusively to triumph in white, win many more trophies in Madrid and achieve those individual honors that elude him, there are those in the White House who believe that the proposals are financially dizzying and there are internal tensions. because the striker accumulates reasons (racism, ugly UEFA, whistles in all stadiums…) that can convince him to take an unexpected turn in the future.

But the worst part is the greenery. There are concerns that the team needs reinforcements, and the sports management understands that there are enough personnel to solve the problems that arise. After spending on the business, which is the beginning and end of everything, there is no room for further expenses. On the right flank, the team appreciates and praises the sacrifice of Lucas Vazquez, brought into this position many years ago as an emergency replacement for Carvajal. However, recent events have shown him that he is not an expert in this field. The heavyweights assume that sooner or later, especially in the case of big commitments, Militao will have to act as a fire extinguisher in the style of Kounde at Barça.

As for Tchouameni, who has been injured for a month now due to a sprain, there has also been a consensus for a long time. In the dressing room it is unclear how he enjoys such greater fame than Camavinga. Although he is loved and supported, the coaches themselves admit that he has not had the best time since moving to Real Madrid two seasons ago. For Ancelotti, he is the player who best maintains his position in front of the defence. It is much more reliable there than Camavinga or Valverde. Even so, in games where he is under a lot of pressure, you can see some seams. As a central defender, although he has performed well at times, he also suffers too much. Added to these attempts to bet on Tchuameni is the ostracism that footballers who have achieved success by playing like Endrik or Güler are subject to.

Data is data

This general roar carried over to the attack. No one on the ground floor realizes that Bellingham’s role has changed to better suit Mbappe. His performance was highly praised, but above all his arrival in the penalty area, his vision in the final meters and his finishing. It is now very difficult to see him inside the penalty area due to the (unsuccessful) obsession that the team will not become unbalanced by introducing more players other than Vinicius and the Frenchman. Jude has already played almost everything, but he is still far from the numbers he had last season at this point. In fact, he hasn’t even scored yet.

But the biggest concern is physique, which is key to implementing the defensive plan Ancelotti wants. Mbappe only ran 8 kilometers in the match against Barça, when there are professionals who score 12 or 13 points per match. And Madrid as a team scored 10 points less than Flick’s team, eight less than Stuttgart, 12 less than Lille, six less than Borussia Dortmund and five less than Milan. With the exception of Bellingham and Valverde, who sometimes make pointless efforts or to justify themselves, the rest are still below their best. The problem is that this defect is accompanied by mental and mathematical depression. Nothing that can’t be resolved in the remaining seven months of competition, during which there will be six titles to compete for. But words (“healthy locker room” and “not lazy players”) are one thing, and facts are another. Today Madrid lies in ruins.