A large part of the Real Madrid season was an act of balancing and they finally fell entirely from rails on Sunday while Barcelona walked away from them to the recovery of the Spanish title. Kylian Mbappe scored a hat-trick, but the Catalans came from two goals to win 4-3 and the margin of victory could have been even greater, if not for controversial calls for the last stages of Madrid’s favor. Coach Carlo Ancelotti understood at the beginning of this season that the adaptation of the brand’s arrival last summer and established stars Vinicius junior, Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo go on the same side were going to be difficult while keeping the stable team.
After having lost twice all the competitions on the way to the victory of the Liga and the Champions League in 2024, this year, Madrid underwent 14 defeats – four of them against Barça – and will find himself without a major trophy.
The defeat by Barcelona at the Olympic stadium on Sunday leaves them seven points behind the Catalans with three games to play.
The fact that the Clasico was close was summed up in Mbappe, whose triples brought him over Robert Lewandowski to direct the rating tables of Spain with 27 league goals.
“Mbappe was the only resistance,” wrote Mundo Deportivo newspaper.
“Madrid faced the Clasico with a tank and 10 tin soldiers, and Barça overthrew them all.”
Mbappe’s goals also made him the club’s top scorer in a first season in Madrid with 39, broke the 37 record of Ivan Zamorano in 1993.
“The flagship figure of the team is Mbappe,” wrote that, noting that although he was not at his personal summit this season, he has always been one of the best players in the club, and “among the” Fantastic Four “, without any doubt the star”.
Madrid conceded 16 goals during their four defeats of Clasico by Barcelona this season, marking seven, Mbappe marking five of these goals.
‘Change guard’
The French striker marked in every latest Madrid played, in net in the European Super Cup and the triumphs of the Intercontinental Cup, as well as in the defeats of Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup.
On the other hand, Vinicius and Bellingham scored any of the four games against Barcelona.
“The change of guard is real,” added AS. “In front next season, the roadmap is clear: Mbappe and 24 others.”
Mbappe failed to deliver in the Champions League against Atletico Madrid and Arsenal as Madrid was eliminated in the quarterfinals, but his hat -trick against Manchester City was the kind of display that Los Blancos expected from him.
With the team built around him and a more robust defense and midfielder, Mbappe can take Madrid to the silverware they ask for.
“He did well,” said Ancelotti de Mbappe, satisfied with how the attacker entered the upper line of Barcelona, but upset by the terrible defense of his team.
“It was quite obvious that we defended it badly,” said the Italian.
Ancelotti should leave at the end of the season to be replaced by Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso, who will inherit the puzzle how to effectively use Madrid’s attack stars.
With Vinicius and Rodrygo struggling with form for months and the heroism of the first season of Bellingham for a long time, it is obvious that Mbappe will make the next Madrid project.
(With the exception of the title, this story has not been published by NDTV staff and is published from a unionized flow.)
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