Real Madrid are in complete chaos and this has been going on for some time now, ever since Mbappé arrived. I am not blaming him, but that is the point where everything starts getting worse and worse. It is now two seasons without winning trophies and more and more stories are starting to come out that show exactly what people already suspected: the dressing room is a mess.
You have Valverde and Tchouaméni arguing to the point where Valverde ended up in hospital. You have Rüdiger involved in conflicts, Carvajal on the bench making jokes about the way Trent defends: things that are simply not normal at a club like this. And this goes back a while. Before that, you had Xabi Alonso having problems with Vini Jr, Bellingham and Valverde himself. Now you also have Arbeloa dealing with dressing room conflicts. It is one problem after another.
Then there are those small details that say everything: Mbappé goes on holiday to Italy and Bellingham posts a story of the team without him. Small things, but they show the atmosphere perfectly.
The problem here is simple: too much ego. Everyone wants to be Batman, nobody wants to be Robin. In the past, there was a clear leader, Cristiano Ronaldo, and the others accepted that. Now you have several world-class players, all wanting the spotlight and nobody willing to take a step back. And of course, now it has become fashionable to blame Mbappé, calling him a “dictator”, but that is just throwing blame in one direction. The problem is collective. Everyone is failing.
Ever since the elimination against Bayern, the team has completely collapsed psychologically. But one thing is collapsing, another is continuing to make everything worse. And to make matters even worse, on Sunday the 10th, there is El Clásico. If Barcelona draw or win, they secure La Liga against Real Madrid. Add that to two trophyless seasons and you have one of the most difficult moments the club has faced in years.
In the middle of all this, the responsibility belongs to Florentino Pérez. He is the one in charge. Not Arbeloa, who is leaving at the end of the season anyway. Either something changes, or this will continue exactly the same way.
Conclusion
What we are seeing from Real Madrid right now is embarrassing, both on and off the pitch. Something has to change and it is up to Florentino to make it happen.
But deep down, we all know it: he does not have the balls to get rid of Vinícius or Mbappé.