The atmosphere around Real Madrid never leaves anyone indifferent. Every summer, expectations for the white team multiply. Critical voices and praise mix in the sports talk shows. However, this year, public opinion has focused on analyzing the team's real situation after the latest results, while everyone waits with anticipation for the arrival of new signings or some game-changing move that could reignite optimism.
Real Madrid have started the preseason surrounded by doubts. The feelings conveyed in the first matches have sparked intense debates, not only among fans but also among the main television analysts. The team led by Carlo Ancelotti is going through a transitional phase, marked by doubts in midfield and a lack of understanding in the attacking area. The debate over whether the team is under construction or in a stage of decline has gained strength in recent days.
José Álvarez's words don't please Madridists
On the El Chiringuito show, José Álvarez hasn't hesitated to describe the white team's situation with strong words. According to his view, Real Madrid aren't in a rebuilding process, but rather in one of destruction. "I've even heard until two days ago that if they won the Club World Cup, Xabi Alonso was the new season, the new project. But Real Madrid, right now, are in destruction," he stated live.
The journalist emphasized the problems of some key players, pointing out that figures like Asensio have lost the prominence they had in previous seasons, and that the midfield neither connects nor creates soccer as is expected at a club of this level. He also highlighted that Bellingham has gone unnoticed and that the forwards barely manage to understand each other on the field. In Álvarez's words, "To build, you first have to tear everything down," showing that the diagnosis is much more pessimistic than usual.
PSG, indirect protagonist in Real Madrid's crisis
The resounding defeat against PSG has been the trigger for much of the criticism. José Álvarez went even further and claimed that the French team "could've scored seven or eight goals against them," a statement that has set social media ablaze and has helped to illustrate the current gap between the two teams. He also recalled that PSG's thrashing hasn't only affected Real Madrid, but also other teams like Atlético de Madrid and Inter Miami themselves with Messi, who also suffered heavy defeats from the French champions during the preseason.
For Álvarez, PSG have put everyone in their place and force a reflection on the true state of Europe's top clubs. This analysis has been supported by other panelists, who also point to the need not to underestimate rivals who, today, show a clear difference in intensity and squad quality.
Real Madrid's immediate challenges and Xabi Alonso's role
The media spotlight has also focused on Xabi Alonso, who has recently been linked with the future of the white team's bench. However, José Álvarez's criticism points out that no coach can reverse a structural situation if the team's foundation is in the process of falling apart. Real Madrid now face the final stretch of the preseason with the obligation to turn around their image and, above all, to strengthen a squad that seems to need deep changes.
The coming weeks will be decisive. While waiting for possible new signings, the club is playing for more than just a good start to La Liga: the need to inspire a demanding fanbase again and to prevent the diagnosis of destruction from becoming a reality in the 2025-26 season.