Trouble is brewing at the Santiago Bernabeu as Real Madrid find themselves in a difficult position in the Champions League.
A recent defeat by AC Milan has put their campaign at risk, coming just nine days after they suffered a harsh loss to Barcelona on the same stage.
Now, with their qualification prospects hanging in the balance, concerns are mounting, and the club is facing pressure on multiple fronts.
Real Madrid’s team dynamics have also become a talking point, with Vinicius Jr. and Kylian Mbappe reportedly struggling to connect on the pitch. The midfield, led by Aurelien Tchouameni, seems disorganised and has yet to find its rhythm.
Jude Bellingham, once considered a rising star, has struggled to make an impact recently. Meanwhile, criticism is being directed at manager Carlo Ancelotti, who finds himself under increased scrutiny from fans and analysts alike.
This defeat marked Real Madrid’s second consecutive loss at home, a rare occurrence not seen since 2009. Conceding three or more goals in each of these home games is another unusual statistic for the club.
Real Madrid have lost consecutive home games conceding at least three goals in each for the first time in all competitions since May 2009 under Juande Ramos.
The loss to AC Milan particularly highlighted weaknesses in Real Madrid’s defence, as they allowed nine shots on target, which is now a record on its own.
Real Madrid have conceded nine shots on target in this match against AC Milan, more than in any other Champions League group stage home game since at least 2003/04 season.
The team has also given up two or more first-half goals in back-to-back Champions League home games.
Real Madrid have conceded 2+ first-half goals in consecutive Champions League home games for the first time since a run of three between 2018 and 2019.
In contrast to Real Madrid’s struggles, Alvaro Morata has continued his strong record against his former club. With seven goals in 13 matches against Real Madrid, Morata has proven to be a consistent challenge for Los Blancos.
Alvaro Morata has scored 7 goals in 13 games against Real Madrid in all competitions. He has scored more goals against Los Blancos than any other Spanish player in the history of the Champions League.
A peculiar trend has also emerged: Real Madrid has been awarded six penalties this season, matching the highest tally across Europe’s top five leagues, and Vinicius has won three of those, more than any other player in Europe.
No team from Europe’s top five leagues has been awarded more penalties than Real Madrid this season in all competitions and no player has won more penalties than Vinicius (3).
Despite the setbacks, a milestone was reached as Luka Modric made his 99th start for Real Madrid in the Champions League, becoming the midfielder with the most starts for the club in European Cup/Champions League history.
However, the team’s three defeats so far this season already surpass their total losses for all of last season, highlighting an unusual struggle for consistency.
Real Madrid have already suffered more defeats this term (3) than in the whole of last season (2). These defeats came against Lille, Barcelona and AC Milan.
