Carlo Ancelotti's men haven't found their magic on the big stage this season but simply have to step up in Saturday's showdown with Atletico
Lamine Yamal cut inside Ferland Mendy, blasted the ball into the corner and careened away in celebration. This was a moment of joy for Barcelona. But it was also one of disbelief for Real Madrid. Yamal's goal made it 4-0 to Barca at the Bernabeu. Madrid had lost Clasicos before. They had lost Clasicos at home before. They had lost Clasicos at home by a significant margin before. But none of them had come like . This was a humiliation, a Barcelona beat-down.
Hansi Flick's Blaugrana have remained largely the same team since then. They have ceremoniously won the big games, while collapsing in the small ones. They are a stereotype – a relatively young team rather naturally experiencing some growing pains. Madrid, though, are a confusing entity, one that's losing touch with its old self.
The side that once showed up for every single crucial contest has steadily gone about breaking down their own aura. This season, the team that was always a lock to show up when it counted has faltered when the opposition is strong. And, ahead of Saturday's Madrid derby, it's becoming a major source of concern for Carlo Ancelotti & Co.
Getty Images SportEarly warning signs
Flash back six months, and this didn't seem like it would be an issue – not massively, at least. The European Super Cup may be a glorified friendly – no matter how good reigning Europa League champions Atalanta are – but Los Blancos came out with the kind of attacking intent that suggested that they could be just as dominant as years past. The final scoreline was 2-0 but it should have been five.
And that's when the problems started. The first signs came at the end of September. Los Blancos traveled to a typically volatile Metropolitano and experienced the kind of rattling that Diego Simeone specialises in. Real escaped with a 1-1 draw, but were lucky to do so, having been thoroughly beaten on expected goals, and failed to ever grab a foothold in the game.
There were extraneous factors at play – Thibaut Courtois had to dodge missiles from fans. Still, it wasn't an assured, composed Madrid showing and Carlo Ancelotti admitted as much afterwards.
AdvertisementAFPThe Lille let-down
What should have come next was a Madrid big game masterclass. A Champions League league-phase clash with Lille seemed to be the perfect forum. Instead, Madrid were subject to the kind of showing they would usually inflict on others.
They outshot, outpassed and out-created the French side. But Lille did that signature Madrid thing, soaking up pressure and grabbing a goal on the break. By the end of it all Jude Bellingham was throwing his arms in the air in frustration while Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr refused to track back.
The end of October brought further struggles. It's hard to sell a 5-2 win over Borussia Dortmund as a disappointing thing, but there was a really worrying aspect to the patchy nature of the performance.
Madrid went down 2-0, and looked fragile against a poor Nuri Sahin side. It required individual inspiration – provided by the ever-excellent Vinicius – to drag them back into the game and then turn it into a blowout as the Bundesliga side collapsed.
AFPThe Clasico and Anfield embarrassments
Then came the Clasico. It was supposed to be Mbappe's coming out party in a Madrid shirt. the Frenchman had endured a mixed start to his Blancos career. The man who scored a hat-trick in the World Cup final lives for these moments – or so we were told. The reality was radically different.
The Barca high line was too much for Madrid. Mbappe was caught offside 11 times. And Los Blancos were far too easily torn apart on the break. Yamal grabbed the headlines, Raphinha pulled the strings, and Robert Lewandowski showed he still had it. In the end, 4-0 flattered Madrid.
Milan had clearly been watching. The following week, a Christian Pulisic-led Rossonieri rocked up in Madrid and the American turned in perhaps the best performance of anyone from the U.S. under the Bernabeu lights. Milan won 3-1 and their hosts had few complaints.
"We have to be concerned, the team is not playing well," Ancelotti admitted after the game. "The team is not compact, we need to be more compact, more organised, we've conceded a lot of goals … The team is not well-organised on the pitch and we need to work on this."
Things only got worse, though. Anfield was always going to be a tough trip but Madrid were made to look thoroughly ordinary by Arne Slot's men. Mbappe missed a penalty and Liverpool cruised to a 2-0 win.
GettyBreaking history
This, of course, all ran counter to what the world thought it knew about Madrid. Los Blancos are supposed to revel in these key games. Even when things aren't going well, Madrid find a way to win. It's what the kids called aura.
Last year's quarter-final victory against Manchester City at the Etihad stands as the perfect example. Madrid got their goal, conceded, and then simply soaked up pressure for the remainder of the second half, all of extra time, and won on penalties. And somehow, it all felt inevitable.
"You’ve got to see [the Real shirt] as a responsibility, not a pressure," Bellingham said. "You have to be willing to be under the scrutiny and spotlight. If you’re here it means you can handle it so trust the process.
"It’s incredible [to knock out the holders]. Today it’s come down to mentality, to running, to track [players]… you get that right and then the moments like the lads keeping their heads in penalties, it’s a mix of that.”
The same had happened countless times before. Madrid overturned deficits against Chelsea two years before that. They were summarily battered by Liverpool in the 2022 Champions League final – and still prevailed 1-0 in Paris.
Last season they won all three Clasicos by a combined score of 9-4. They beat Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-final with Joselu – yes, Joselu – coming off the bench to score a brace and send them to a European final which, by the way, they also won. They just don't lose these big matches. But now they are.