While the team plays on Tuesday evening in the Champions League against Arsenal, Marca has revealed the players’ state of mind, especially after the defeat against Valencia. Carlo Ancelotti will have to find the right words to remobilise his squad.
Winning the league this season: this is one of the major objectives of Real Madrid. Unfortunately, on Saturday evening against Valencia at the Santiago Bernabéu, the team shot themselves in the foot, losing 2-1 in a match that was well within their reach. As often, the defence was shaky, and Carlo Ancelotti’s team, without Raúl Asencio who was available, conceded two avoidable goals. Up front, Vinicius Junior did not shine at all, although he scored the only goal for the Madrid side. According to Marca’s sources, the players were completely broken on Sunday when they returned to training.
A very difficult Sunday for the Madrileños
Disappointed with the result, especially in front of the home fans, Carlo Ancelotti’s men spent a bitter day. The defeat against Valencia on Saturday afternoon at the Santiago Bernabéu was one of the most painful in the Real Madrid dressing room. Even Barcelona’s draw against Betis, which left the situation more or less unchanged in La Liga before the decisive phase, did not ease the Madrid players’ mood. It must be said, the Madrid team missed a big opportunity to close the gap on the top spot and to keep fighting until the 38th matchday.
Faced with this situation, action was needed, and the coaching staff took direct action with a message before starting work on Sunday. There was no time for complaints, but rather to think that everything can still be dressed in white.
Fighting for a treble at the end of the season, the White House no longer really holds the upper hand in competition. Between injuries that just won’t go away, player fatigue from the relentless sequence of matches, and mental wear and tear, Real Madrid is on a slippery slope. If the players don’t quickly recover from the pain of the defeat against Valencia, things could spiral completely.
The Champions League doesn’t forgive
On Tuesday evening at the Emirates Stadium, it will be against Arsenal that they need to wake up to bring joy back to the supporters, currently heartbroken by the team’s performances. In this first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals, Kylian Mbappé and Vinicius, among others, have a heavy responsibility. To hope for a good result ahead of the return leg next week, and thus give themselves a chance to qualify for the semi-finals, Real Madrid must be solid at the back.
In a season where the team has already conceded more than 60 goals, over one goal per match, Carlo Ancelotti will have to think carefully about how to line up his defence. As for the players, they will need to give it their all, as this is the Champions League, one of the most challenging competitions. If things go wrong on Tuesday evening, Florentino Pérez’s club would be on the brink of losing their chances of winning the two major trophies that remain this season.
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