"There is no place for them at Real Madrid": the Spanish media open fire on Mourinho and his players after the derby disaster
Is the team heading for another disastrous season?
Real Madrid have faced sharp criticism in the Spanish media after their 2-1 defeat to Atletico Madrid on Sunday evening, in the seventh round of the Spanish League, in a match that revealed, according to a number of analysts, technical and tactical problems afflicting the team under the leadership of Jose Mourinho.
Mourinho insisted after the match that he did not feel frustrated with his players and that they had given everything they had, preferring to direct his criticism at the refereeing decisions. Spanish analysts saw it differently. They focused on the performance of Real Madrid, who dropped to fourth place, six points behind Barcelona.
On the programme "El Chiringuito", Fran Garrido levelled scathing criticism at the team, considering that Real Madrid appeared without clear ideas or confidence. He also questioned why Carlos Espai was not used despite the team having an additional substitution available, before strongly criticising the way the team conceded the second goal.
Garrido said: "There are players who have no place at Real Madrid," adding, when talking about the second goal: "They are all in a bad position. This team is a defensive disaster." He also considered that the gap with Barcelona reaching six points so early in the season represents a worrying situation for Real Madrid.
Criticism goes beyond the derby defeat
Speaking on "Cadena SER" radio, Alvaro Benito argued that Real Madrid's problems are not the product of a single match, pointing out that they have persisted for a long time.
He said: "If we have been witnessing the same problems on the pitch for more than almost two years, then the problem is much deeper. We see exactly the same problems, different players, but the same scenario."
Tomas Roncero, for his part, spoke about Real Madrid's continued suffering in derby matches, considering that the team does not show, in his view, the expected reaction when the encounters become complicated. He said: "Mourinho was our last lifeline, and if this lifeline lets us down, then this has been going on for two years already."
The criticism extended to the line-up choices and the performance of some of the stars, especially after Vinicius Junior was taken off in the 54th minute following the sending off of Dean Huijsen.
Roncero called for the opportunity to be given to the player Yan Diomande in the starting line-up, and to keep Vinicius on the substitutes' bench, demanding that the team abandon the idea of relying on stardom. He said: "I want us to abandon our ego. The star is Bellingham."
Javi Herraiz also criticised, via "SER" radio, the performance of Kylian Mbappe, expressing his astonishment at his appearance during the derby. He said: "I cannot understand Mbappe's performance. He should at least have run."
The repercussions of Real Madrid's defeat did not stop at the result of the derby. They opened a wider discussion in the Spanish media about the team's performance, Mourinho's choices, and the level of a number of its stars, at a time when the gap with Barcelona has become six points after seven rounds.
