Real Madrid the fallen giants, but what went wrong?

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Real Madrid players celebrating a past victory PHOTO: Courtesy

Only 11 matches into the new season, but the search for a new manager continue to intensify at Santiago Bernabeu with high profile coaches such as Jose Mourinho, Antonio Conte and Mauricio Pochettino all linked with the European giants.

This affirms a fallen giant who tries to rekindle lost glories, justifying why the bookmarks, among them Betin with its  nairabet affiliate code  which reward gamblers with interesting bonuses has since seen many bookies back Real Madrid to crush out the 2018/19 UEFA Champions League at the round of 16 despite being the only club in history to ever retain the title.

That said, one million dollar question everyone is asking themselves is what went wrong for Real Madrid? I guess even the ever tough-talking president Florentino Pérez with his self-conceit did not see the rough patch coming especially after installing Julen Lopetegui to succeed history maker manager Zinedine Zidane.

Some pundits for years in their assessment deduced that Cristiano Ronaldo was the engine at the center of Real Madrid recent success, a statement former team-mates such as Gareth Bale and Isco refuted, with the former openly chest thumping that the departure of the Portuguese could see them play as a unit compared to when he was in the team.

As Julen Lopetegui’s father Jose Antonio put it; “Cristiano Ronaldo was good,” “Was he cocky? We all have defects. But he scored 50 goals a season. Now he is missed. They don’t have a goalscorer. Not one.” Well, that was before his son was relieved of his duties, but did he deserve the sacking?

Numbers don’t lie and if statistics are anything to bank on, then for once I concur with Florentino Perez’s that Lopetegui appointment was a fumble which Real Madrid hierarchy paid dearly.

With four victories, two draws and four defeats across the opening 10 games in LaLiga Sanatander (a total of 14 points), Lopetegui is alongside the less than memorable Jose Quirante, Ramon Encinas, Michael Keeping and Lippo Hertzka as the five worst managerial debutants for Real Madrid in the league.

It would have been impossible to think in the summer that a team which boasts of FIFA World best goalkeeper (Thibaut Courtois), UEFA best defender (Sergio Ramos) and world’s best player in Luca Modric would struggle against minnows leave alone the thought that at this juncture they could be trailing Barcelona by seven points and sitting seventh in La Liga table standings after 11 rounds of matches.

Many will crucify the person at the helm of the coaching staff for the dismal performance but the truth which must sink is that Real Madrid players are running out of gas and their legs are not doing them any better, most of its players are at the age bracket of 30 and with Florentino Perez failing to recruit a galactico in the summer as has been the norm, the worst is in the offing.

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