Empire State of Mind
It all looks remarkably obvious in hindsight. Naturally this Real Madrid side, which had left it late to beat Real Valladolid, scraped past Cádiz at the Santiago Bernabéu and needed a moment of brilliance to best Cacereño, were going to struggle against Barcelona. Those are the three wins they can count on in their last six games, excepting Valencia, whom they needed penalties to get past (more on that debate another time).
There was plenty of evidence to suggest that this Real Madrid side was severely undercooked. As the various tertulias and talk shows chew the fat, most Madridistas have found themselves with a particularly acute case of indigestion.
Passive and predictable, it appears they are suffering the consequences of the World Cup. Aurelién Tchouaméni has rarely looked as good for Real Madrid as he did on Sunday night, conspicuous by his absence. Luka Modric is running as if he has just noticed all those extra times he played with Croatia. Even Fede Valverde feels a yard less dynamic.
Thibaut Courtois has returned to form just in time, but their difference-makers from last season are still someway off the boil too. A look at the statistics will raise your eyebrow upon receiving the news that Vinícius Junior has not contributed to a goal in Spanish competition since October. Karim Benzema meanwhile has five goals in four games; a reminder not to look just at the statistics. Each of those matches has involved at least one missed opportunity that would be described as glaring for the Benzema of last season, while three of the goals were penalties.
Keen observers of Carlo Ancelotti’s eight-minute press conferences will remember that he predicted this. The Italian was well aware of the chances of a major drop off after the players came down from the most emotional tournament in football.
Physically, there seems little remedy but to wait and pray to Pintus saint of fitness. Presumably that will improve with time, but Real Madrid still have four competitions to juggle. This is not just a top team coming from a World Cup in midseason, it is an aging side dealing with both that and the hangover from an exhausting, successful season, plus the three extra competitions that come as a reward.
Just three months ago, this was the same team that looked invincible, no matter who was missing and whom they were playing. Valverde was being mentioned amongst the best midfielders in the world, Modric was ageless and Toni Kroos was back to his very best.
All of those things were true, but it was also papering over a defence that has been porous at best, and middling at worst. With few answers seemingly coming from the transfer market, and a paucity of tactical solutions, Ancelotti must delve into his speciality subject in order to see them through into fitter, sharper times.
The talent he is credited with most is his management of people. With Ancelotti, teams allow themselves the best shot at a good working atmosphere. Footballers feel valued and treated like adults. In spite of his sunny, jovial exterior, the tough tend to get going under him.
Over the next month, he must keep morale afloat and keep his footballers focused and invested. Should they feel the season slipping away, then the bad habits will be impossible to shake.
It felt like Carlo Ancelotti had grown an immortal monster last season. No matter how many different ways you hurt it, there they would be as soon as the other side turned their back for the slightest second. When Zinedine Zidane left, Real Madrid felt like a declining colonial power. To give them a chance at success this season, he must maintain that empire state of mind.