Real Madrid laid an egg on Saturday afternoon at the Benito Villamarin, blowing an early lead to bow out 2-1 to Real Betis in a result that will surely kick the Merengues back a notch in the tightest of title races with fellow Champions League knockout foes Atletico Madrid and Barcelona.
In the aftermath of Real's defeat, let's take a closer look at the three men most responsible for the negative result over the weekend.
Carlo Ancelotti
I always say the buck stops with the coach, and Carlo Ancelotti bears more responsibility for this loss than anyone else on Real Madrid, even if there were many individuals who struggled on the team. And that's because their struggles can be rooted in Ancelotti's decisions.
His lineup selection was poor. Starting Brahim Diaz in midfield with none of Jude Bellingham, Fede Valverde, or Dani Ceballos available was a surefire way to lose control of the middle of the park, since Brahim is a forward who doesn't really command the ball and is someone who does his best work off the ball, waiting for moments to pounce.
Ancelotti inexplicably started Raul Asencio over David Alaba, dooming the back line of Ferland Mendy, Lucas Vazquez, Antonio Rudiger, and Alaba to fail. Then, his substitutions made absolutely no sense, ceding even more control of the game to Real Betis and giving up on any chance of a comeback.
You'd expect the manager of the best club in the world to have more ideas and solutions when faced with tough losses than what Ancelotti put together. He left Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappe, and Rodrygo Goes hung out to dry and had no tactical alternatives or ways to bail out a defense that was pinned back in their literal corners, with no passing lanes or options and no avenues for quick transitions or faster passing patterns to avoid being stuck in the mud. Ancelotti has to step it up when the going gets tough, because he was outclassed on Saturday.
Antonio Rudiger
Not only did he cost the team with silly, amateur hour penalty in which he let a Real Betis player get inside of him and cook him on a counter, but Antonio Rudiger was overmatched all afternoon long by the Verdiblancos.
He couldn't cover for his teammates, his passing was laughably wayward, and he played a huge role in Madrid's inability to progress the ball or obtain any sort of control on the match. Real Madrid were a sieve, and Rudiger's downturn in performance after a great night at the Anoeta was one of the most central points to this dreadful defeat on the road.
Isco
Sometimes, you just have to tip your cap off to the opponent. Honestly, you can make a very strong case that Isco's brilliance had more to do with Madrid's defeat than any singular individual associated with the Merengue club, whether player or coach.
Isco, discarded by Real Madrid a couple of seasons ago, danced magically around the feet of an overmatched and depleted Madrid midfield. The Merengue club could not touch Isco, who was levels above everyone else on the pitch, including Real's own veteran midfielder Luka Modric.
When healthy, Isco has legitimately been one of the most impressive players in all of LaLiga since joining Betis, and he proved it again this weekend. Isco, who, as per WhoScored, is averaging 2.7 key passes with 3.8 combined dribbles completed and fouls drawn per game, put up a goal and an assist with six key passes and three fouls drawn in a playmaking masterclass. By the way, Isco now has four straight games with at least four key passes and three fouls drawn. Mind-boggling.