Just 10 days after their 0-4 loss to Barcelona, Real Madrid suffered another easy defeat, losing 1-3 to AC Milan. This is the first time since last April that Carlo Ancelotti’s team has lost two consecutive games. What is happening to the defending Champions League winners?
It’s clear that this is the worst Real Madrid has looked since Ancelotti’s return in June 2021. Their loss to Milan mirrored their performance against Barcelona: a stagnant midfield, a harmless attack, and a fragile defense due to several underperforming players. In just the last four games, Real Madrid has conceded nine goals, and in their last ten matches, they’ve only kept a clean sheet once.
The solid and effective style of play that helped Real Madrid achieve a double last season has completely collapsed. They now sit 17th out of 36 teams in the Champions League rankings. The risk of an early exit from the tournament is now real. Ancelotti urgently needs to tighten up the squad to prevent a further downward spiral.
However, overcoming the deep psychological crisis at the Bernabeu is not easy. Kylian Mbappe seems increasingly frustrated on the pitch, Jude Bellingham showed irritation when substituted, and Ancelotti remains silent on the sidelines, while President Florentino Perez witnesses his team’s misfortunes following the El Clasico defeat and the home loss to Milan.
Vinicius has tried to bounce back after losing the Ballon d’Or. He won a penalty and converted it with a bold panenka, but this does not mean he played well. Real Madrid’s forwards, especially Vinicius and Mbappe, bear significant responsibility for this crisis, as neither contributes much to pressing or defensive support. As a result, the Real Madrid midfield is left exposed. Milan’s direct attacks made it hard for Luka Modric and Aurelien Tchouameni to keep up. The imbalance between offense and defense has become Real Madrid’s biggest issue.
Last season, Real Madrid set a record with 20 clean sheets in La Liga, but this season their defense has been surprisingly weak. Injuries have played a role, with Lucas Vazquez’s position on the right flank lacking stability. The Spanish right-back was completely outpaced by Rafael Leao, and on the other flank, Ferland Mendy played so poorly that Ancelotti substituted him midway through the second half.
One significant difference from last season is how easily Real Madrid concedes from simple situations. A Milan corner allowed Malick Thiaw to head the ball past Andriy Lunon, with neither Antonio Rudiger nor Tchouameni able to mark the German center-back. This is the third time Real Madrid has conceded from a set piece this season (not counting penalties), just two fewer than in the entirety of last season. It’s also the sixth time they have conceded first this season, including three times in the Champions League.
“Our defending was poor. The team lacks cohesion. Everything is out of order. This worries me,” Ancelotti admitted in the post-match press conference following the loss to Milan. The Italian manager is hard-pressed to find any positives in his squad right now, as most players are underperforming, making their system vulnerable. Against Milan, Real Madrid allowed the opposition to have nine shots on target, the highest number since the 2003/04 season in a home group-stage match in the Champions League.
It’s worth noting that Real Madrid’s next Champions League game is an away fixture against Liverpool on November 28. Another defeat could push the reigning champions closer to an early elimination—an outcome that no one envisioned at the start of the season.