A major dilemma: Real Madrid's fall puts Mourinho face to face with the ghosts of the past
Ghosts of the past return once more inside Real Madrid
Real Madrid's defeat to Real Betis at the La Cartuja stadium has reopened the door to certain doubts within Madrid circles.
"Sport newspaper" reported that Real Madrid did not put in a bad performance. Los Blancos had enough of the ingredients to secure a win and create chances, and they dominated for long spells of the match, but in the end they left the game without scoring.
The problem for Los Merengues is not related to the result alone. It appears as if "the ghosts of the past are returning once again".
Real Madrid begin LaLiga with victories. The pieces appear to fit together, the stars show up, and within a few weeks it seems that the usual questions have disappeared, until the first serious test comes along.
That happened last season during the derby, and this season so far in the Betis match, even though the team's showing in this case was much better.
Once again the two usual questions emerge: who organises the play? And are the three stars in harmony and able to play together?
Midfield under scrutiny
Camavinga and Valverde lined up in central midfield once again, and once again the role of each raised doubts. The Frenchman has qualities that make him an extremely complete player. But his spells of drifting out of the game, and the inexplicable difficulty he faces executing certain technical touches, leave his level wildly inconsistent.
The Uruguayan presents a different problem. He has never excelled at the base of the build-up, and his football looks more natural when the game opens up, when spaces appear for him to run into, or when he shifts to the wing.
Real Madrid need players who want the ball in that area. Yet Fede Valverde, rather than making himself available, seems to hide during long phases of play, and he cannot deliver what organised attack demands of him either.
Back comes the question Real Madrid chose not to answer in the transfer market: "Who controls midfield when the match calls for calm, control and circulating the ball?" Having failed to sign Rodri, they appear to have fallen back on individual solutions, such as Arda Guler, who carried the team on his shoulders.
The most troubling controversy: the three stars
Mbappé, Vinícius and Bellingham are hugely talented players whose abilities cannot be questioned, but the problem with them lies in how well they mesh together, and in the "untouchable" status they appear to have acquired within the club.
Against Betis, Real Madrid created numerous chances. Mbappé, who in some moments appears to possess a stunning ease in reaching goal, is also the player who squanders the most clear-cut chances in the entire competition. When he is not on form, the team, which relies so heavily on his goals, pays dearly for it.
Vinícius, too, is far from the version that once made his performances a decisive factor. He still has the abilities to change a match with a single move, but for a long time now he has given the impression that he is contributing less than he should, and that his impact has become far smaller. His recent contract renewal guarantees him a hierarchical status within the team that is not reflected on the pitch.
Bellingham has been one of the team's most important and most impressive players in terms of level in the recent period, but against Betis the Englishman showed once again that he lacks a degree of consistency.
He appeared fatigued. With his inability to find suitable areas to shoot from, his performance loses much of its value.
The three players impose more constraints on the team and coach José Mourinho than they should. The proof lies in Mourinho's decision to substitute Arda Güler against Betis.
True, the Turk, who was putting in a better performance, was carrying a yellow card. But the question is this: would the Portuguese coach have taken the same decision had the card been with one of the other three forwards? Güler was offering far more than some of the stars, yet he was the easiest change to make in order to keep the dressing room calm.
Real Madrid have lost only one match, and it is still too early to talk of drama, but the spotlight returns to the two big problems the team has suffered from for years: a holding midfielder, and how well its three stars mesh together.
All of this without Diomande, who looks confused every time he steps onto the pitch, being able to get a real chance to play.
Defeat against Betis brings the doubts of the past back to the fore, doubts that Mourinho must resolve if he wants to change the course this team has been on for several seasons.
