Real Madrid faces a challenging period, losing their La Liga lead and experiencing disjointed play, with analysts like Javier Tintó and María José Hostalrich pinpointing underperforming players Jude Bellingham and Fede Valverde as key issues.
Real Madrid has suffered a “tough November,” losing their five-point lead at the top of La Liga and dropping points in three consecutive draws, including a recent 1-1 result with Girona. Following this dip in form, media analysts have weighed in on the club’s struggles.
According to a report from Sports Illustrated, citing comments made on the “La Tribu” episode of Radio Marca, analyst Javier Tintó “singled out two players who are struggling for form.”
Tintó believes that Jude Bellingham and Fede Valverde are “a shadow of their former selves,” and their current performance is “hindering the team when trying to get the ball forward.”
Tintó added that manager Xabi Alonso is “showing very little flexibility” and that the team “needs rock and roll, they need to run, not just have the ball.”
He argued that Bellingham and Valverde’s struggles are leaving attackers like Mbappé and Vinicius “very isolated.”
Another analyst, María José Hostalrich, was more critical of Bellingham specifically. She questioned Alonso’s decision-making, asking:
“Why doesn’t Xabi replace Bellingham? Why doesn’t he get rid of him when the team has shown it plays better without him?” Hostalrich added that “Real Madrid is a team without football and without soul.”
The report notes that Valverde’s continuous movement between right-back and central midfield due to injuries “is not going to help when his confidence could be low.” The team must now find a way to “get back to playing well and getting results.”