What's wrong with Real Madrid?

TThe match at Eibar was the worst I've seen in my five years here, "Real Madrid's Toni Kroos said in perfect English, after his team beat Roma 2-0 at home. outside Tuesday to appease the anger of the club. It was an impressive win in Rome against last season's UEFA Champions League semi-finalists, who had won their last seven European home games and kept six white sheets. The problems of Madrid are not located in Europe, where they have won four of the last five Champions League trophies, unprecedented, but at home in La Liga.

Three days earlier, the current European and world champions had been beaten 3-0 by Eibar, a Basque team from a hilltop town of 27,000 whose tiny house neat can only accommodate 7,000 people. It was Eibar's first-ever win against Madrid – they had lost six and had drawn twice over the previous eight – but the record was flattering for Madrid, whose captain, Sergio Ramos, openly criticized the attitude of his teammates.

It was also the first match in which Madrid coach Santiago Solari, 42, was appointed permanent director with a two-and-a-half year contract after four temporary matches. Cerebral Argentina, who played alongside David Beckham and Zinedine Zidane at the time of the Madrid galactic, had won all four matches before the roof of Madrid collapsed in the Basque Country. The defeat at Eibar was not unique, but the defeat of the fifth division of Madrid in 13 matches since the beginning of the season.

Madrid had begun to look impressive in previous matches after its hectic start to the season. The team that finished last season under Zidane and who began his term with former Spain boss Julen Lopetegui in charge now has a third, the Argentinian Solari. He may have a contract, but Bernabéu's leadership is short and the club's president, Florentino Pérez, likes former coach José Mourinho, like many hardcore Madrid fans.

Madrid is sixth in the league and their problems are multiple. As Lopetegui's father pointed out, the sale of Cristiano Ronaldo took 50 goals. Madrid has scored 20 goals in the league this season. Barça has 35. Madrid has no player in the top ten scorers in the league and his second top scorer, Ramos, is a defender.

There are problems at the other end of the field, where the Whites conceded 19 goals. Eleven La Liga teams have better defense and only the Huesca have conceded more, but it's disconcerting. Raphaël Varane, 25, would be the most expensive defender in the world if he was sold. Yet Madrid has not won any of their last seven games when it started, losing six.

Isco is another problem. Man of the match when Madrid defeated Manchester United to win the 2017 European Super Cup, Isco was eliminated by Solari and did not start in any of its six games in charge. He was a key player under Lopetegui.

Solari says that he was made to make difficult decisions. And to drop a public favorite completely from the team is one thing, but Isco did not even make the bench in Rome and Solari would have been undecided as to the player's permission to enter the locker room. A bad attitude was questioned, but nothing like that was inferred when he was playing for Spain. If Isco goes away, the 26-year-old balletic playmaker will not miss out on top contenders. Pep Guardiola is a long-time admirer, but can Madrid continue to sell her stars at a high price – and she needs money to carry out the Bernabéu redevelopment project – and continue to win?

Ramos, their captain and their pillar, is 32 years old. Luka Modrić, who is expected to win the Golden Ball Monday and become the first winner other than Ronaldo or Lionel Messi since Kaká in 2007, is 33 years old. The top scorer, Karim Benzema, is 30, a year older than Gareth Bale, who performs well, but not dramatically.

Friday, Ramos and Madrid had to refuse a report of Der Spiegel that he had twice failed to comply with the anti-doping regulations. Der Spiegel published an article claiming that a test conducted by Ramos after the final of the Champions League 2017 was revealed positive. The report, using elements of Football Leaks, indicates that UEFA believes that this result is due to an "administrative error" after a Madrilenian club doctor did not accurately record a pain injection given to Ramos.

Behind Ramos, Thibaut Courtois was signed in the summer by Chelsea as goalkeeper of choice. He is now replacing the popular Keylor Navas in this position. At Eibarhe, his defense left him hopeless.

La Liga is superb this season and closer than it has been in years. It does not please the 70% of Spaniards who support Barça or Madrid, but it's good for a league that strives to be recognized internationally as the best in the world. The Betis defeated Barcelona by playing offensive football and were beaten at Villarreal in their next match. Villarreal will play at Barça this weekend, while Madrid will face neighbors Villarreal, Valencia. Madrid against Valencia last season was one of the best games in Spain.

Solari is confident that his team will come back: "Real Madrid had to undergo many tests and the club still recover after having failed," he said. That's why Real Madrid is the winner of the story. "

He is right. They have again finished top of their group in the Champions League and will become December champions of the December Fifa World Club. Write Real Madrid at your own risk. They have proven time and time again that they are a team that always produces when the time is right. Ronaldo has often acted like that, but it's still a team of winners, though, as Kroos told Viasat after Tuesday's win, "You have good and bad times, especially after crowned years." of success. Even a team like us needs confidence. We need action during a match to build confidence. "

The irregular shape of the Madrid league could make them miss the national title, but it will not matter if they can continue to win the biggest club football competition – which they have already done more than once. other team.