Real Madrid suffered a devastating defeat at the hands of their eternal rivals Real Madrid last night – one which will not be forgotten easily.
The 0-4 scoreline, the twelve offsides, and the alarming collapse of the reigning La Liga champions in the second half all raise alarms about the team’s situation.
Carlo Ancelotti’s starting XI maintained a good rhythm and created some threat in the first half, but after the break, the intensity and attitude drastically dropped.
And, according to MARCA, the two most concerning factors for Real Madrid following the loss to Barcelona are the drop in intensity and the lack of focus and attention to play, which disappeared completely at the first sign of trouble.
A well-rehearsed plan gone wrong
Real Madrid’s coaching staff and players prepared for the Barcelona match where they practised how to break Barcelona’s offside trap and exploit Hansi Flick’s high defensive line.
Despite that, the Merengues were simply unable to beat the offside trap on Saturday time and time again – with Kylian Mbappe himself getting caught eight times.
While coaches had discussed and emphasised the required movements, the concerning aspect was the lack of attention and repeated offside positions.
Some of the offside calls may have been marginal by centimetres, but many others were by more than two metres. And the fact that Real Madrid could neither read nor overcome the trap they repeatedly fell into concerns the staff.
Physical concerns mount
Another concerning issue for the current champions is the physical aspect – leg power and recovery capacity. While the reason for it is unclear, Real Madrid currently appear to be below peak physical condition.
The numbers tell the story, as demonstrated in recent Champions League matches and in Saturday night’s running statistics as the game progressed.
With a week’s time left before their next game against Valencia, Real Madrid must work hard and produce a strong reaction to the harrowing loss.