Real’s problems: Guler’s anger, playoffs and Spain’s downfall

It’s two defeats now for Alvaro Arbeloa. Since the young coach took over from Xabi Alonso, his score is three wins and two defeats. But both defeats were embarrassing. First one was from minors Albacete in the Spanish Cup and the second one was from Benfica. It’s not like the Portuguese giant is a small club, but on the brink of elimination from the competition and with only two wins before facing Real, they were surely not a threat to Real. Wrong. They defeated them 4-2 and opened three problems for Madrid.

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The biggest one – playoffs. Real’s defeat means two more games in the Champions League and tougher road to the final, due to the ranking at the table. Arbeloa’s men have now went two straight years without at top 8 finish, which is a worrisome sign (and embarrassing too) for a club which won the record 15 Champions League titles. After all, they will probably face Manchester City if they beat their eventual opponent in the playoffs, and the Citizens will play the replay at home, only because they finished in top 8. The fact that Real lacked ideas in attack and was unable to sustain a high level of performance in demanding matches is also a problem.

Kylian Mbappe scored a brace against Benfica but was still unhappy with the final result.

“We played terribly. The fourth goal doesn't change anything; it's a bit embarrassing, but it doesn't change anything. Last week we played well, and now we didn't. We lack consistency. We lack a bit of everything. It's not just attitude or just football; it's a general problem. In the Champions League, every detail is important. We can’t be good one day and bad the next. That’s not what a championship team does” said Real’s striker.

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This defeat also marked the start of the same old problem every manager in Real has – unhappy players. Last night, Arda Guler showed his frustration when he was substituted. Movistar cameras captured the midfielder making gestures of disapproval as he looked towards the bench. He made no attempt to hide his displeasure and it could be read from his lips “Always me! Always me!”. We will see what will happen in future, as whoever the boss is, some players will always be unhappy due to the lack of playing time and keeping the locker room satisfied has always been more important in Madrid than the actual match tactics.

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And finally, with this defeat, and along with Atletico’s shocking loss to Bodo/Glimt and Villareal’s 3-0 embarrassment in Leverkusen (not to mention Athletic Bilbao), Spain is now being overtaken by Portugal in UEFA rankings. Portugal has 14.700 while Spain has 14.375. Both counties are way above Germany, whose clubs accumulated 15.285 points and all but assured a fifth spot in the next Champions League.

UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE - MATCHDAY 8

Thursday

23.00: (1.45) Aston Villa (4.80) Salzburg (6.50)

23.00: (2.00) Basel (3.85) Plzen (3.60)

23.00: (1.63) Betis (4.50) Feyenoord (5.10)

23.00: (1.38) Celtic (5.00) Utrecht (8.00)

23.00: (2.45) Crvena Zvezda (3.50) Celta (3.15)

23.00: (5.50) FCSB (4.30) Fenerbahce (1.58)

23.00: (1.33) Genk (5.40) Malmo (10.0)

23.00: (4.20) Go Ahead (4.00) Braga (1.85)

23.00: (2.10) Lille (3.50) Freiburg (3.80)

23.00: (1.87) Ludogorets (3.75) Nice (4.30)

23.00: (6.50) Maccabi T.A. (4.50) Bologna (1.50)

23.00: (1.90) Midtjylland (3.70) Dinamo Zagreb (4.40)

23.00: (1.58) Nott.Forest (3.90) Ferencvaros (6.00)

23.00: (2.25) Olympique Lyon (3.50) PAOK (3.30)

23.00: (5.00) Panathinaikos (3.75) Roma (1.75)

23.00: (1.28) Porto (6.25) Rangers (12.0)

23.00: (2.85) Sturm (3.60) Brann (2.50)

23.00: (1.28) Stuttgart (6.75) Young Boys (10.5)

* odds are subject to change