Thank goodness Guardiola is coming

Xabi Alonso couldn't think of anything else when he left to end the farcical match that his team played against CeltaWhat to say is: "Luckily we play again on Wednesday. The best part is that the Champions League is coming up." Only he would think it's an excellent idea to play against a Manchester City side without any major injuries, on a good run, and desperate to win because they lost to Leverkusen with a starting eleven full of substitutes and coached by a certain Pep Guardiola, the bane of most Madrid fans' recurring nightmares. Come on, it sounds like a perfect scenario, yes sir! Especially considering how Real Madrid is playing: horrendous.

Madrid's main problem is that they're not playing any kind of football. 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 everyone's fighting their own battles, but they don't even have that. If Courtois doesn't perform his usual miracle and Mbappé doesn't score, goodbye Real Madrid. No pressure, no off-the-ball movement, no intensity, no set pieces, no defensive solidity, no creativity in midfield. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. And on top of that, the best player in defense, Militao, got injured and will be 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 for the opposition to come. Xabi Alonso isn't the only problem, but he's certainly not the solution either. The promised rock 'n' roll has turned into unbearable carnival music. The lack of competitive edge can't be attributed solely to 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, for example, Rodrygo as the first substitute—when he hasn't scored in 33 games—is stubbornly clinging to the same mistake without offering any alternatives.

So no, playing against Manchester City on Wednesday doesn't alleviate anything, no matter how much he might think so. It's one thing to keep a low profile in press conferences and another to deny reality. Saying how lucky Guardiola is coming isn't exactly the optimistic message Alonso could offer the fans.