Thank goodness Guardiola is coming

Xabi Alonso could think of nothing better to say after his team's dismal performance against Celta Vigo than: "Thank goodness we play again on Wednesday. The best thing is that the Champions League is coming up." Only he could think it was a brilliant idea to face a Manchester City side without any major injuries, on a good run, needing a win because they lost to Leverkusen with a starting eleven full of substitutes and managed by a certain Pep Guardiola, the bogeyman in the recurring nightmares of most Real Madrid fans. It sounds like a fantastic plan, indeed. Especially considering how Real Madrid is playing: horrendous.

Madrid's main problem is that they're not playing any kind of football, and continuing to blame the referees, as Alonso tried to do, is not only useless but also a lie. His team isn't unhinged because of the referees, but because they don't even look like a team... I was going to write that they're each fighting their own battles, but not even that, because they have no soul. If Courtois doesn't pull off a miracle and Mbappé doesn't score, it's game over. No pressure, no runs off the ball, no intensity, no set pieces, no defensive solidity, no creativity in midfield—nothing. Absolutely nothing. And on top of that, the best defender, Militao, is injured and out for at least three months.

I don't think the manager is entirely to blame; it's impossible that he asked them to press at the Club World Cup and now the instruction is to just sit back and wait. Xabi Alonso isn't the only problem, but he's certainly not the solution, and the promised rock and roll has turned into unbearable carnival music. The lack of competitive edge can't be blamed solely on him, but it's undoubtedly his responsibility because he, and no one else, is the one sitting on the bench. Without football and relying entirely on individual brilliance, continuing to trust Rodrygo as the first substitute, for example, when he's gone 33 games without scoring, is stubbornly clinging to the same mistake without offering any alternatives. So no, playing against Manchester City on Wednesday isn't a relief, no matter how much it might seem to him. It's one thing to keep a low profile in press conferences, and another to deny reality. "Thank goodness Guardiola is coming" isn't exactly the optimistic message Alonso could offer the fans.