Real Madrid's Struggles: Persistent Issues and Criticism

Real Madrid’s season is only seven games old, but the mood around the club already feels heavy. Fourth in La Liga with 15 points, a stuttering start has thrown fresh doubt over Florentino Pérez’s grand project and sharpened the scrutiny on the man in the dugout.

The 2-1 defeat in the derby against Atlético did more than dent the table. It exposed, once again, flaws that some inside the club’s orbit believe have been festering for years.

“The same problems for two and a half years”

Alvaro Benito, former Real Madrid player and now a forthright analyst, did not bother with diplomacy when speaking to Cadena SER, his comments later carried by Sport.

“Here the thinking needs to be much deeper,” he said. “If you have been seeing the same problems on the pitch for two and a half years, then the nature of these problems is exactly the same.”

That was his central accusation: Real Madrid are not learning. Coaches have changed, line-ups have shifted, but the structural issues, in his eyes, remain untouched.

“We do not see any change with the coaches, despite the different nature of each of them,” he stressed. “So the problem is much deeper. Isn’t it? That is what I am saying.”

You can hear the frustration in the repetition. The idea that results are masking something more serious.

Benito pointed to the recent win over Elche as a perfect example.

“You can win. For example, you won the last match against Elche, but the impression the team leaves at a collective level is that the same problems keep recurring.”

The scoreline, he argued, is not the story. The way Madrid play is.

Derby at the Metropolitano: no surprises

The trip to the Metropolitano only reinforced his view. The loss hurt, but the performance worried him more.

“We could all have expected that, barring something exceptional, when you come to the Metropolitano stadium you would see what we in fact saw,” he said.

“You could have won or lost, but I am not talking about losing or winning, because the road that leads to the result can take different paths.”

For Benito, the debate is not about a single refereeing call or a missed chance. It is about identity, structure, and the lack of a clear plan.

He even referenced a specific flashpoint to underline the point.

“If Cuti Romero had been sent off in the first half, then you might even have been able to win the match,” he noted. “I am talking about the collective impression, about the idea of play, what you offer, and which players you will put in the starting line-up in most matches.”

In other words: Real Madrid cannot hang their hopes on hypotheticals or incidents. The bigger picture is what counts, and he does not like what he sees.

Mourinho’s missing blueprint

At the heart of Benito’s criticism lies José Mourinho and what he believes the Portuguese is failing to impose on this team.

He argued that Mourinho is not applying the very philosophy that made his name and that, on paper, should fit this squad perfectly.

“Mourinho historically relies on a very strong medium defensive block, a team with compact lines, ferocious pressing, winning the ball back and then attacking directly and quickly. Excellent,” Benito explained.

“This style would be ideal for Real Madrid, given the characteristics of the players they have, but the problem is that we do not see it.”

That is the charge: a coach renowned for clarity and structure is presiding over a side that, to critical eyes, lacks both.

For a club built on control, power and certainty, the question now is blunt: how long can a “much deeper” problem be ignored when the table, the performances and the voices around the club are all pointing in the same direction?