Joan Laporta's next banner

Florentino Pérez's speech at the Real Madrid assembly is yet another favor to Joan Laporta. The truce, the collaboration, between the two presidents, with the Super League project as a pretext and a strange convenience, has ended, and the Real Madrid president has placed Laporta exactly where Barcelona members like him to be: as a rival and an enemy.

Víctor Font, until now the main opposition figure, again pointed out a week ago at his first campaign event the connection between Florentino Pérez and José Antonio Laporta, placing the Barcelona president in a subordinate, subservient position. The barb was clearly intended, but Florentino Pérez has blown the argument to smithereens and, in doing so, has made it clear that Barça, and by extension his own team and Xabi Alonso's new project, are his main concerns. Hours later, in Elche, some of his suspicions were confirmed, and not those concerning the referees, after Real Madrid equalized at the death in a questionable play that left Iñaki Peña with a nosebleed.

Unanimously, journalists who follow Real Madrid on a daily basis have begun to express their doubts about the lack of harmony between Alonso and the squad. The manager is under scrutiny not only because his team is boring and their play is regressing, but mainly because the players don't seem to buy into his ideas, which began with the premise of effort, high pressing, and harmony, and have resulted in Courtois saving shots and Mbappé scoring goals. The same old story, really.

The fact that the club – that is, Florentino Pérez – turned a blind eye when Vinícius crossed the line with deplorable behavior after being substituted against Barcelona marked a turning point. Since then, Real Madrid has been on a downward spiral. Alonso has been sidelined and seems to be rowing alone, without any support from inside or outside the dressing room. The consecutive poor results against Liverpool, Rayo Vallecano, and Elche demonstrate that the problem isn't the referees, Negreira, UEFA, Tebas, or the Bernabéu's neighbors. "Thanks, Florentino" should be the slogan on Laporta's next banner. And rightly so, after the latest favor he's done him.