Pedrerol sends a harsh message to Real Madrid fans: Laporta will be very happy

With what?

Real Madrid head into Saturday evening's clash with Villarreal amid rising tension, with a section of the club's fans calling for a protest at the Santiago Bernabeu. Their anger stems from the slide in results, the conduct of certain stars, chiefly Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior, and the running of Florentino Perez's board.

Spreading across social media under the slogan "Whistles at the Bernabeu: the Bernabeu speaks", the call set aside the minutes before kick-off for supporters to vent their discontent with the state of the Spanish club.

Josep Pedrerol, host of "El Chiringuito", hit out at the idea. Whistling early would do nothing for Real Madrid, he argued, and would instead hand rivals Barcelona a psychological boost in the middle of a crisis.

"Barcelona fans should thank Real Madrid's supporters greatly for whistling against their players," Pedrerol said, convinced that Catalan president Joan Laporta would be delighted to see the Bernabeu turn into a source of pressure on Madrid's players.

Turning to the fans backing the protest, the Spanish journalist went further. "It seems to me they are Barcelona fans," he said, refusing to pile more pressure on the squad before a crucial La Liga fixture.

Pedrerol did not deny the fans the right to show their anger over a poor display, though. Whistling becomes understandable, he explained, if the game drifts into its closing stages with the team showing little fight to claw their way back.

All of this unfolds as Mbappe faces criticism over his trip during the international break. He chose to spend days in France and Switzerland in the company of Ester Exposito rather than focus on shaking off the discomfort that has been troubling him.