Even before Xabi, the club had been having serious issues because it all started with how even Mbappé had been underperforming, and the reason was that he was trying to adapt to the system of Madrid, but for how long? And a loss of things is just not right for them, and they need to be very serious. From what we have seen, if they don't fix these issues, they might become irrelevant in the whole system because they need to fix their defense and then follow up with their midfield. because this is not the Madrid we know. The Madrid we know is the one full of entertainment, and when you are facing them, you have to be very careful.
Can Madrid even fight for the La Liga title next season? Because there is no way they will go far with this kind of performance, they should work on their defense and sharpen their strikers, because we are getting less entertainment from all these things.
Currently, Real Madrid's playing style isn't as polished as it once was. Honestly, it's become a bit boring. Perhaps because the team hasn't fully gelled, and their new coach hasn't fully adapted to the team, and vice versa, the players haven't fully adapted to the coach either. But this problem has been present since last season. Or since the beginning of last season, when Real Madrid experienced a slew of injuries to their back line. Since then, the team's back line has become quite weak. Fortunately, these shortcomings were offset by a decent goal-scoring performance last season.
However, when Mbappé first arrived, we saw him adapt quite slowly. He often failed to convert good chances into goals. He often missed the good ones he received. But I believe this was simply because Mbappé was a bit nervous and not mentally prepared. He even missed penalties entrusted to him. This even led to Mbappé being reluctant to take penalties several times. But his condition gradually improved, and he began scoring more goals and even became the top scorer in La Liga last season. But his condition isn't so good right now, as he's just recovering from an injury he sustained yesterday.
In yesterday's match, I would have preferred Xabi Alonso to play the same formation and starting eleven as he used in the quarterfinals. But Xabi made a few changes. And the results weren't good enough.