Barça and Real Madrid, the two sides of the coin

BarcelonaAt the start of 2026, Barça's solidity and euphoria contrast sharply with Real Madrid's debacle. While Hansi Flick has fulfilled his promise to improve the team at Barça – a promise made after a heavy defeat at Stamford Bridge, where they put on a very poor display and confirmed the doubts the team had been raising at the beginning of the season – the Whites have been spiraling downward. The first neck Florentino Pérez cut was that of Xabi Alonso, just a few months into his tenure, but the blame is already being directed at the players: the Copa del Rey debacle is already among the most bizarre failures in Madrid's recent history, and the new coach had only managed one training session. "We've hit rock bottom spectacularly," said Carvajal, Madrid's captain. In short: Barça has gone from strength to strength And the whites, quite the opposite.

Florentino had wanted to get rid of Alonso for some time. The defeat against Barça in the Super Cup final was the last straw. It was also believed that the schedule would allow Álvaro Arbeloa a smooth transition to the bench: Albacete away, and Levante and Monaco at the Bernabéu. The Copa del Rey debacle has set off alarm bells, to the point that the club has asked for commitment and direct involvement from the players for tomorrow's visit from Levante (2 pm). "I greatly respect the opinion of the Bernabéu and I understand that the fans are hurting, but I'm going to ask them for their support for the players. Great feats have been achieved with the support of the Bernabéu," Arbeloa stated in the lead-up to the match against the Valencian side, in an upward trend since Luis Castro took charge of the round.

Hearing whistles again at the Bernabéu wouldn't be anything new. In fact, they're one of the reasons behind Alonso's dismissal. Like the ones he heard the day he substituted Vinícius in a lackluster victory against Sevilla. Within the club, some believe that taking off the Brazilian – who had a dreadful game – in the 83rd minute and exposing him to the Bernabéu's jeers was another factor that jeopardized Alonso's future. His clashes with some of the senior players – and his lack of authority in managing the egos of a complicated dressing room – have been one of the former Real Madrid coach's biggest problems. His decision to remove fitness coach Antonio Pintus, one of Florentino Pérez's protégés, also backfired. The Real Madrid president believed Pintus should return, after having allowed Alonso to bring his own staff. The Italian had stayed at the club as a supervisor and now, with Arbeloa, has once again taken charge of physical conditioning. Regarding this aspect, linked to the disastrous Copa del Rey elimination, the new Real Madrid coach didn't want to add fuel to the fire: "I'm not unaware of everything that's being said, and if anyone wants my words to be a criticism of Xabi, they won't find it; they're mistaken. What happened in Albacete was a lack of play, a lack of physical conditioning. It's a privilege to work with him, and we'll work to recover the players' best form in every aspect."

Pep Guardiola's advice that hurt Real Madrid

It was a half-hearted effort, but Alonso tried to "do his own thing," just as Pep Guardiola had advised him before the Madrid-City match. These statements also weighed on the internal pride of the club presided over by Florentino Pérez. Especially because, with a less than exuberant performance, citizens They had enough to conquer the Bernabéu. In fact, failing in the big matches cost Alonso his job: PSG thrashed them (4-0) in the Club World Cup, Atlético Madrid gave them a 5-2 thrashing, a Liverpool side in crisis also beat them (1-0), and City, without playing particularly well, also defeated them. Finally, Barça beat them again in the Super Cup (3-2).

In contrast, in Barcelona, ​​after the setback against Chelsea, Flick managed to right the ship and restore the team's form, improving on last season's league performance. The returns of Joan, Raphinha, and Pedri have been crucial; as has the players' unwavering commitment, demanded by Flick, who also manages to keep the egos of a very young squad, albeit one with icons like Lewandowski, under control; maximizing the potential of players like Eric, Fermín, and Ferran, as well as the contributions from the bench by players like Roony and Olmo. The Super Cup victory was the final nail in the coffin for Alonso. Qualifying for the Copa del Rey quarterfinals has confirmed that Barcelona's current form contrasts sharply with that of Real Madrid.