Real Madrid FC – A football club in crisis?
In the last four years, the richest football club in the world has had a very difficult time. He did not win any trophies. And this ongoing season, hopes were high for the team to win a major trophy, with former Juventus manager Fabio Capello being appointed to helm the team. Capello, who had coached the team once in the 1990s, had led Juventus to back-to-back Scudetto titles in Italy in 2004 and 2005. With such high qualifications, he was supposed to be eminently qualified for the job and to carry the team back to winning ways. Although he resumed as manager, Capello vowed that he would only lose five games in the league (the league) all season.
However, with only about twenty games in the league, Capello has lost seven games. And he’s led the team to some of its worst performances in recent history. Real have lost some vital home games at the Bernabéu against low-rated teams like Recreativo and Levante, who are bottom of the league.
In a run of ten matches, the team scored just three goals, a far cry from their high scoring nature in the past. Even recruiting new players in the January transfer window hasn’t helped. The club is now four points behind Barcelona in the standings.
After being knocked out of the Copa del Rey by Real Betis, the only hope of winning a trophy this season is in the Champions League or the Spanish League. In the current form, the chances of the team winning in Europe are very slim. As such, the expectation is that the team is more likely to leave empty-handed again this season.
What could have led to the current crisis at Europe’s most successful football club?
On the one hand, Capello’s coaching style has been widely criticized by players and fans. The defensive style of the new coach has not been to the liking of the fans and has not given the desired results either.
Furthermore, the sudden change in the club’s player recruitment policy from the era of buying “galacticos” or world famous players, to that of buying relatively unknown players seems to have affected the club internally. It’s not unusual to hear bickering and power plays in the locker room.
In addition, the manager’s apparent dislike of some players has helped polarize the club and discourage team spirit. Recent comments by the club president and manager about some of the team’s key players, which were exaggerated by the media, served to show the extent of the animosity that exists among the club’s rank and file.