And Real Madrid died. It was painful, very painful. With too many memories of Vietnam. Because the team that took the field was the one we have seen so many times this season. Xabi Alonso dressed up as Carlo Ancelotti and got the same results. First, because he opted for a 4-3-3 formation to include both Gonzalo and Mbappé in the starting eleven. In addition to Vinicius. He threw his own grenade and experienced what his predecessor couldn’t fix during several months on the bench. A disaster of biblical proportions. Not because of the defeat itself, but because of the way it happened.
Because Real Madrid was a broken toy in the hands of a perfect PSG. Luis Enrique’s team has come close to the perfection that modern football demands. Xabi Alonso’s Real Madrid, although it showed flashes of brilliance with the 4-4-2 and even with the three-center-back system, today was once again the team that bores, frustrates, doesn’t press, and knows absolutely nothing about what it should be doing. From defense to attack, it was exasperating.
Only five minutes had passed and Courtois had already saved the team twice. First from a shot from outside the box by Fabián, and then a point-blank save from Nuno Mendes who was alone in the six-yard box. Courtois’ performance was senseless, but as always, he was one of the few positives for Real Madrid. And that, unfortunately, is bad news. But the worst was yet to come. Asencio completed the circle of a terrible World Cup. He lost the ball to Dembele when he had plenty of time to clear, Courtois tried to stop the Frenchman, but the ball was already in Fabián’s possession, who pushed it into the empty net. First.
The second was a carbon copy in terms of how it happened, but this time the mistake was Rudiger’s. It was grotesque, again against Dembele, who found himself alone in front of Courtois and made no mistake. Second. The next one came in the 24th minute on a counterattack that perfectly exposed all of Real Madrid’s problems: a broken team, poorly positioned, defenders out of place, a non-existent midfield… Achraf came in alone down the right wing and set up Fabián as if it were a training session. The third. The game looked like singles against married couples. Kvaratskhelia could have twisted the knife further but spared the fourth in the 40th minute. A storm.
Everything remains the same
Xabi Alonso either didn’t see—which I doubt—or didn’t want to see the obvious problems in the first half and decided to continue exactly the same way in the second half. Because keeping Mbappé or Vinicius on the pitch was the work of the Joker himself. It seemed like Xabi wanted to see the world burn. Because they don’t press, they don’t defend, they don’t even pretend to make a run… They are a joke, and the worst thing is not that they lack ability, but that they don’t want to play.
Xabi’s Real Madrid was a New Year’s resolution. There was good will at the start of the World Cup, but, as always, old habits die hard, and their gym routine lasted four days. The second half was a little better than expected, but PSG slowed down a bit. Real Madrid improved, more because of Luis Enrique’s team’s shortcomings than their own merits. But little else happened. PSG had a goal disallowed just after the start of the second half. Dembele was offside.
Xabi Alonso didn’t dare make any changes until the 64th minute. Triple substitution: Modric, Militao, and Brahim came on for Asencio, Bellingham, and Vinicius. Surprising but too late. Especially Vinicius. And Bellingham, admittedly, didn’t seem like the best option, as he wasn’t one of the worst. But Real Madrid was going to experience Modric’s last dance in the worst possible way. And Militao’s return, which would not be the only one. A little later, in the 71st minute, Carvajal came on for Gonzalo after 277 days. Two pieces of good news on a day that will leave too many wounds.
Because yes, it’s a new project, there’s time to adjust and so on, all of which is very logical but, excuse me, I’m not going to think about that today. Because there are certain players who don’t care if Xabi Alonso, Mourinho, Trump or Ayatollah Ali Khamenei comes in, they’ve decided they’re going to do whatever they want. They’re like a little kid who listens to his father, says yes, and then does what he always does. Let’s hope that this time, there will be punishment from those in charge. It’s a carbon copy of that galactic era, more marketing-driven than good in terms of image and results. And the fans are already very tired of this.
In addition, the problems of a short squad, with players who are not quite up to the standard required by Real Madrid, were once again evident. Vitinha, Fabián, and Joao Neves played as if they were in their backyard, and PSG was only held back by the heat and a lack of desire to draw blood. Even so, almost without meaning to, in the 87th minute, with Militao plugging holes in the Titanic, he couldn’t prevent Gonçalo Ramos from scoring the fourth goal unopposed, in a scene more typical of a summer pickup game.
The disaster was and will be resounding. Xabi Alonso’s Real Madrid did not get off to a bad start in the Club World Cup, and some will even say that the objective has been achieved, but my father, excuse me, taught me something else about this badge. And we have already taken a lot of hits this season. The fact is that, for better or for worse, Real Madrid has only one goal: to win everything. And if not, to show some honor and not go out for a stroll on the field, although this was not everyone’s fault. The system did not help, but the joke played by some players must end. Because it is one thing to lose and another to do what happened today against PSG. There is time, but unfortunately for Xabi, there is no patience left.