It was a long night at the Bernabéu from Sunday to Monday. Only a month ago, the white team had a five-point lead, while Real Madrid fell behind Barcelona by four points, and after the defeat against Celta, the club’s managers gathered at the Bernabéu to analyze what had happened in the debacle against the Galicians, and indeed in a season that had inexplicably gone awry for the white team over the past five weeks.
Florentino Pérez and his advisers met in a crisis cabinet meeting that lasted late into the night. There were several important points on the table. For example, the team’s lack of football, which was more evident than ever against Celta, who overwhelmed Madrid at the Bernabéu, not to mention the number of injuries that affected the defense in particular – Eder Militao’s serious injury is the latest in an endless chapter of misfortunes – and of course the performance of the referee, who gave the team three red cards and left the defense particularly exhausted for the next La Liga game.
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Quintero González’s performance reinforced the long-standing belief among club managers that referees do not necessarily favor Madrid’s interests in domestic matches.
In any case, the most important part of the meeting was devoted to the complex sporting situation of the team, which has won just three of its last seven games, and focused on the relationship between Xabi Alonso and key players in the dressing room. The lack of harmony between the Basque coach and some of the team’s key players, revealed in situations such as the substitution of Vinicius in Clasico, is a major concern for the club, which has set Wednesday’s game against City as a deadline for the team and manager to react. The result of that match and the image the team projects will depend on a number of things, including the future of Xabi Alonso, but his potential successor has already been named, with Zinedine Zidane being the front-runner in most bets. Another, more complex option would be Jurgen Klopp, who is currently out of work after a long and successful spell at Liverpool.
Crisis in all its forms has become evident at the club, which now appears to be far ahead of Madrid in terms of play and sensation, despite a solid situation in La Liga being overturned in favor of the Barcelona side, losing in the Clasico and enjoying an even more unpleasant situation in the Champions League. Wednesday’s game against one of Europe’s biggest opponents could be a turning point for Los Blancos, and especially for Xabi Alonso. It is well known that the manager is the weakest link in a crisis, but the analysis carried out by the club’s hierarchy suggests that the team’s key players will not return unscathed and it could be a very hot summer in terms of rebuilding the squad.
