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Real Madrid's dreams of winning La Liga are about to be shattered. |
La Liga isn't officially over yet, but for Real Madrid, the race is practically finished. There's no need for math to explain; just looking at how the white-shirted team played against Real Betis is enough to understand they've already said goodbye to the title.
A team that still believes it can win the championship will take to the field with a sense of urgency. They will play as if there is no tomorrow. Real Madrid, on the other hand, is the opposite.
The big stars disappeared when the team needed them most.
At La Cartuja, coach Álvaro Arbeloa's team played an open game, sometimes brilliant, sometimes deadlocked, but absolutely lacked the fire of a team backed into a corner. That's the most worrying thing.
With the gap between them and Barcelona widening, what Real Madrid needed most was confidence. But on the pitch, they showed the demeanor of a team resigned to their fate.
Real Madrid got off to a decent start. Federico Valverde was the most prominent bright spot in their build-up play. The Uruguayan midfielder's through passes repeatedly created space and stretched the Betis defense.
For the first 30 minutes, Real Madrid controlled possession well and had a few coherent attacking moves. But top-level football isn't decided by a "good start." It's determined by the ability to maintain pressure and finish off the opponent. Real Madrid failed to do that.
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Mbappe tried his best, but he couldn't help Real Madrid beat Real Betis. |
Once the game was balanced again, Betis were the team creating more dangerous opportunities. If it weren't for Andriy Lunin's outstanding performance, the visitors might have even gone home empty-handed.
A club possessing Vinícius Junior, Kylian Mbappe, and Jude Bellingham should have known how to impose their game in a situation with so much space. But the trio failed to have the corresponding impact.
Vinicius lacks his usual flair. Mbappe rarely makes a difference at crucial moments. Bellingham plays hard but lacks the strength to carry the entire system. When the big stars are all underwhelming, Real Madrid becomes just an ordinary team. This problem has repeated itself many times this season.
Real Madrid possesses a wealth of individual talent, but they don't always achieve collective cohesion. When inspiration wanes, the team easily falls into a state of disjointed play, waiting for a moment of individual brilliance. Against Betis, that moment didn't appear.
The exhausting final stretch of an unfinished season.
The biggest challenge for Real Madrid right now isn't tactics, but motivation. With the Champions League over after their defeat in Munich, and La Liga increasingly out of reach, the remainder of the season could easily become a grueling ordeal. There are still matches to play, but the big goals are fading.
For a team accustomed to the pressure of winning titles, the feeling of just playing to fulfill a schedule is dangerous. Arbeloa certainly understands this. He needs to maintain focus in the dressing room while also using the final stages of the season to shape what will happen in the new season.
Some positions need to be re-evaluated. Some names need to prove their worth. Some stars need to be placed in a more logical structure.
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Coach Arbeloa may soon be leaving Real Madrid. |
Amidst the gloomy picture, there is still a bright spot in Brahim Díaz. The player from Malaga is having a positive end to the season. He is energetic in defensive support, flexible in his movement, and always seems ready to make a difference. Brahim is not a media center like Mbappe or Vinicius, but he is the type of player who clearly shows a fighting spirit.
Sometimes, in difficult times, a team needs players like that more than the spotlight.
La Liga isn't over yet, but for Real Madrid, the title is already a long way off. The draw against Betis only confirmed what many had already sensed: the Royal team is no longer in the final sprint.
They are entering the final stages of the season with heavy legs.
Source: https://znews.vn/dau-cham-het-cho-real-madrid-o-la-liga-post1646336.html
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