Real Madrid manager Julen Lopetegui was very blunt with reporters after his team disappointed once again. Falling 1-0 to a struggling Deportivo Alavés has caused somewhat of a panic amongst Madridistas; with good reason.
It has been 18 years since Real Madrid has lost to Alavés in La Liga play, it is the first time in three decades the club has gone four matches without a goal, and the Los Blancos boss is starting to feel the heat from the Madrid faithful.
Lopetegui was clearly unnerved in his post-match remarks, reiterating several times that it is far too soon to overreact to the results.
"“It is just October. In such a negative dynamic, we need to get our key players back. The sense of calm comes with the result, and the result will come after the goals. Today we had good chances to score but we were punished,” he said."
The former Spanish national team boss was asked several times about what the loss meant to his future, but the boss was quick to shoot down any rumors.
"“It’s not something I’m concerned about, that’s your job and I’m sure you’ll do it. I have to be outside that. We’re in October. We have to remain calm from the inside in light of this negative situation.”"
It is clear that the majority of Real Madrid fans are frustrated with Julen’s tactical approach and lineup choices, especially in the last four matches, on every social media platform.
Real Madrid has not gone four consecutive matches without a goal since 1985 and the panic levels are beginning to rise at an even quicker pace.
To add to Lopetegui’s headache, he mentioned that both Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale both had to leave the contests with injury problems.
"“Karim and Gareth had injuries, so we had to make decisions regarding changes. That’s football, that’s the way it goes, and today all the negatives came out,” said Lopetegui leading off the presser."
I can’t decide if the international break coming during the midst of a four-game winless streak is a good thing or a bad thing, but let’s all hope that it gives the players and coaching staff some much needed time to reset and come up with some new strategies.
Los Blancos will return to action two weeks from today as they host mid-table Levante.
While all may seem bleak right now for Real Madrid, don’t give up on these players or this coach. We have seen the club struggle early in seasons just to come back bigger and better than at the start of the calendar year.
Injuries certainly have a hand in the recent struggles, but they cannot be the scapegoat. Real is simply too talented to let injuries derail a season.