Real Madrid have not managed to regain the dominance they enjoyed under Carlo Ancelotti or Zinedine Zidane. Not only have they been eliminated from the Champions League, but they also sit nine points behind Barcelona in the league. Following this, Álvaro Arbeloa has pointed out a major “problem” for Los Blancos, revealing that winning the Champions League is easier for them than LaLiga, while also placing some blame on refereeing decisions.
“We certainly have room for improvement in La Liga in recent years. In these past few months, I think we’ve performed better in the big, difficult games than against lesser opponents,” Arbeloa said after the latest game. He then delved deeper into the struggles with referees: “But we’ve also experienced situations like [the penalty appeal] in the Girona game, which make it easier for Real Madrid to win a Champions League than La Liga.“
Over the past few seasons, Real Madrid have firmly established as one of the most dominant teams in the Champions League. Not only do they consistently reach the latter stages, but they have also won the title multiple times in recent years. Despite this, they have struggled to win LaLiga, often being outperformed by Barcelona. Beyond any claims of refereeing errors, this highlights a clear issue for Los Blancos: A lack of consistency.
Since the 2004–05 season, Real Madrid have won the league title on 7 occasions, with their most recent triumph coming in the 2023–24 campaign. In contrast, Barcelona hold a clear edge, having accumulated 12 LaLiga titles, including several consecutive wins that underline their dominance. As a competition that rewards consistency over the course of a season, Los Blancos have fallen short in securing it, despite later shining in the Champions League.
Kylian Mbappe of Real Madrid is seen during the UEFA Champions League.
Real Madrid slump continue as another trophyless season looms
Real Madrid are not going through one of the best periods in their history. While they began the season with high ambitions, the dismissal of Xabi Alonso and their exit from the Champions League completely defined their campaign. Moreover, they are no longer in contention to win LaLiga, as Barcelona have emerged as the leaders. As a result, they are now heading toward a second consecutive season without winning any titles.
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With limited chances of winning LaLiga, Los Blancos are approaching a second consecutive season without titles, something that has not happened since the 2004–05 and 2005–06 seasons. In response, Arbeloa was highly critical: “Real Madrid is a club where things usually go well. The mentality of this club is always to look to the future. At Real Madrid, losing isn’t acceptable… We have to win our seven remaining matches,” he said after the latest game.
While Álvaro Arbeloa blames refereeing mistakes, Los Blancos face a harsh reality: they need radical changes within the team. Winning the Champions League is not the only objective—they must also compete consistently in LaLiga, something they clearly need to improve. With a managerial change all but certain, they are aiming to start fresh and seek to establish dominance in the league as well.
