Real Madrid are in the middle of their worst run of form in seven years, casting an even darker glow on an already failed season.
The 15-time European champions have failed to win five of their last six matches across all competitions, dropping points in three La Liga fixtures and losing both Champions League quarterfinal legs to Bayern Munich.
The last time Los Blancos mustered such a dismal spell came in the 2018–19 season. Yet even that campaign had more to celebrate than the team’s current exploits. Real Madrid still won the Club World Cup and reached the Copa del Rey semifinals despite reeling from Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure.
The Spanish giants did only manage a third place finish in La Liga, collecting just 68 points from 38 matches. Álvaro Arbeloa’s men are slated to finish as the runners-up this season, currently sitting on 74 points, but that is hardly a silver lining.
Low Effort Cost Real Madrid Potential Silverware
There’s plenty to point out as reason for Real Madrid’s lackluster campaign, but the major storyline as of late has been their inability—and disinterest—in closing out games. The team has conceded stoppage time goals in four of their last six matches:
- Conceded in the 91st minute vs. Mallorca to lose 2–1
- Conceded in the 90th minute and 94th minute vs. Bayern Munich to lose 4–3
- Conceded in the 93rd minute vs. Alavés in their 2–1 victory
- Conceded in the 93rd minute vs. Real Betis to draw 1–1
Going back even further, Los Blancos conceded a 90th minute match-winner in their 2–1 loss to Osasuna in February.
The players in white are far too comfortable and lackadaisical come the end of matches, praying their goalkeeper will bail them out of poor defensive sequences as they simply wait for the final whistle. And that works sometimes, when Thibaut Courtois is between the posts, but Andriy Lunin does not deliver the same heroics.
In fact, Real Madrid have kept just one clean sheet in their last 14 matches across all competitions. In La Liga, they last blanked an opponent on Feb. 8. Such cracks at the back have been key to the team’s La Liga and Champions League collapses.
Does the Answer to Real Madrid’s Woes Lie in the Transfer Market?
When Real Madrid finished 2018–19 without a major honor, they came back the next season and won La Liga and the Spanish Super Cup. The summer between was full of blockbuster moves in the transfer market, which brought Éder Militão, Eden Hazard, Rodrygo and Ferland Mendy, among others, to the Spanish capital.
The 15-time European champions have similar plans this summer, though their incoming transfers might not be as extensive. The club are aiming to sign a deep-lying playmaker along with extra defensive reinforcements as they prepare to bid farewell to David Alaba, Dani Carvajal and potentially Antonio Rüdiger, all of whom are out of contract at the end of the season.
Yet bringing in more big names and egos into a dressing room already overflowing with both might not be the solution to competing with Barcelona when such glaring issues remain within the team’s core.
Sure, bringing in a player of Rodri’s skillset will inevitably give the side more balance and stability, but will it suddenly help Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappé play well together? Signing a new center back will shore up a vulnerable backline, but will it suddenly make Real Madrid players track back and pitch in defensively?
The deep-rooted issues at the Bernabéu will not magically disappear with a few new faces—or even a new manager—next season. The burden ultimately falls on the current players to respond with renewed energy, focus and mindset next season, or else the team will once again disappoint.
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