The relegation of the Etihad has plunged Real Madrid into confusion, unforeseen by the club, the coach, the players, the journalism and the fans. He faces the last four League games in a general state of shock, forced to pick up the thread of a competition that he buried at the Camp Nou two months ago. He loosened up Madrid so much that he devoted himself to other tasks, including defending the title of champion in the European Cup and taking revenge on Barça in the semi-final of the Copa del Rey, the same one reserved for Manchester City this time. He swept Madrid off the map and left him thinking.
It seemed that everything was connected and well connected in a season that admitted failure in the League in exchange for success in the European Cup or, in the worst case, an honorable elimination in the fetish competition of Madridism. The problem lay in the name of the rival. By now, Manchester City is for Real Madrid more than an accredited opponent. Not only does it project the economic power and footballing presence that has placed it at the head of the English scene, but it also exudes an aroma of an intimate enemy, represented by the figure of Pep Guardiola and what he represents for Madridism.
It is not possible to dissociate the party's banter from the Guardiola effect, in the same way that it was impossible to disconnect Madrid's victories against City and Bayern Munich in previous years, defined by the presence of the Catalan coach in both teams. They are the not-so-secret pleasures that beat in football, so the 4-0 immediately took on the magnitude of a catastrophe and consequences that are very difficult to unravel.
The rout of a defeat that demands a very uncomfortable return to the domestic championship continues. 14 points behind Barça, who two days before the Manchester game had celebrated the title they had just won in the streets, Madrid cannot afford a break in the last four games of the season. Freed from domestic tensions for several weeks, he will be forced to undergo intense scrutiny for the next four games. In the wing, the infinite number of questions about Ancelotti's future, the role of the old guard of players, the uncertainty inevitably generated by changes in the cycle, the detection of rusty areas and the size of the signing list. Hard not to get fat after 4-0.
All this happens just a few months after the re-inauguration of the Bernabéu, whose impressive print does not invite jokes or errors of judgment. It has been built to surprise the football world. Claim success and big stars, not doubts and melancholy. The most recent history pushes, however, for a quick recovery of the pulse. Real Madrid has demonstrated a quick recovery capacity in times of crisis, unlike most of its peers in European football, such as Barça, Manchester United or Milan, who have been entangled for years in painful reconstruction processes.
Madrid reacted quickly to the apotheosis of Barça 15 years ago, to Mourinho's lackluster finale, the failures in several Leagues, the controversial departure of Cristiano and the disappointing performance of two stars (Bale and Hazard) who cost more than 100 million He has never panicked. He has sold without consideration and has been successful in a very high percentage of signings. He has moved safely through these stormy years of football, but the sweep of the Etihad has dislocated him more than ever. No one suspected that he would be exposed to fierce pressure and the most minute scrutiny in four games that a week ago were considered to be for the benefit of inventory.
