Madrid’s Struggles in Champions League – A fitting description of the Quijote from Miguel de Cervantes’ legendary work could also be used to describe Real Madrid’s current Champions League campaign—erratic, lacking attacking responses, and seemingly resigned to frustrating defeats. Falling to Liverpool is one thing, but the reigning champions are also suffering from failures against Lille and Milan. It’s hard to look at the standings and accept that the team sits at 24th in this new Champions League, which has been a daunting challenge for the whites, like a fish filled with bones. Just two years ago, we conquered Anfield with an impressive 2-5 victory. It’s infuriating to see how much that champion team, where every attack was a beautifully rhymed verse thanks to the brilliance of Vinicius (the true Best) and Benzema, has deteriorated, along with Benzema’s deserved Ballon d’Or. Rodrygo and especially Carvajal are sorely missed. Not that Valverde hasn’t done well in his place, but Carvajal brings a fighting spirit to the team that is lacking in every passing match. Some may tell me that Liverpool was the worst rival we could face amid an injury crisis, which saw Camavinga joining today. But at Madrid, there are no excuses. We can’t always rely on Courtois’ heroics to avoid lamenting an even more frustrating result.
Read more:
Rafael Benitez: “Milan” Inconsistent, “Inter” Focused, and “Juventus” Strong Defensively
The Penalty – In the last two weeks, I promised myself to reset my mind and give Mbappé my full trust again. I have a good friend, knowledgeable in football, who has told me to be patient with Kylian, insisting he will eventually break through. “Tomás, don’t forget what happened with Zidane in his first year.” And that’s what I’ve been doing—waiting. However, at Anfield, the Parisian squandered a perfect opportunity tailored for his attributes. With Arnold on the bench, he failed to take advantage of Vinicius’ painful absence to dominate the left flank where he should be devastating. Instead, he threw a couple of diagonal runs but lacks the confidence to finish the plays. I know penalties are only missed by those brave enough to take them. But if you’re the theoretical star of the project and you take a penalty that could bring you back into the game so softly and easily for the goalkeeper, something is clearly going on in his head. He’s blocked. As Florentino once said on El Chiringuito: “This Mbappé is not my Mbappé.” Still, I’ll heed my friend’s advice. I’m still waiting for you, Kylian. But hurry up!
Read more:
Pep Guardiola Opens Up About Visible Injuries, Dismisses Mental Health Concerns
‘Cocigaláctico’ – In an act of naivety, we hoped to fuel the spirit of a potential victory at El Rincón de Toñín ‘El Torero’ with a record-breaking presence of 30 guests, some even arriving from California. There was my admired José Ignacio, a personal friend of Clint Eastwood, and his 15-year-old son, who was astonished by Toñín’s performance (his bald head turned as red as Guardiola’s after the 3-3 with Feyenoord) and the singing of an 11-year-old boy whose voice was very reminiscent of the legendary Joselito. We enjoyed watching the Youth League on the television as Arbeloa’s Juvenil team claimed a 0-1 victory over Liverpool’s youngsters. It was the best appetizer to dream of a conquest at Anfield, accompanied by essential chickpeas, morcillo, chorizo, and splendid slices of ham. However, our digestion came to a sudden halt five hours later. Liverpool delivered a harsh dose of reality. By the way, Van Dijk becomes a free agent in June. Florentino, sign him!
Read more:
How Many Goals Does Santi Giménez Have in the Champions League?
