Real Madrid were humilitiated again in their latest trip to the Iberostar Stadium, as Mallorca took them down 2-1, just days before Los Blancos face European Clasico rivals Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarterfinals.
Playing against one of La Liga's smallest sides, Real Madrid looked like anything but a Champions League contender on Saturday afternoon. They seemed to have the game equalized 1-1 after Eder Militao's headed goal from a corner, but more poor marking cost them, as Vedat Muriqi sunk a late winner and Real hearts in the process to cut his Pichichi deficit with Kylian Mbappe to four goals.
There were so many disappointing individual displays from a Real Madrid perspective, but one player who is drawing the most ire from Madridistas is center midfielder Eduardo Camavinga. The Frenchman continues to show little growth mentally and physically over the years, and his poor effort and inabilty to track runners properly proved costly.
Real Madrid lacked concentration
Although Real Madrid manager Alvaro Arbeloa told reporters after the game at the press conference that the result was 100 percent his fault - and he made some real tactical errors against Mallorca, for sure - he also made sure his players felt some accountability for their misgivings, too.
Arbeloa seemed to call out Camavinga without mentioning him by name, noting the critical error of lacking concentration and poor marking. The coach said, via Madrid Xtra, “Without focusing 200%, we weren’t going to win. If you get distracted and lose your marking, it will cost you a goal.”
It's a simple way of putting things from Alvaro Arbeloa, but it is a message that the likes of Eduardo Camavinga and his teammates need to hear loud and clear. Arbeloa saved the callouts by name for himself, but every Madridista listening to him talk about needing to be 200 percent was thinking exactly of the moment when Antonio Rudiger was yelling at Cama for not picking up the run on the opening goal.
But by not calling Camavinga out by name specifically, Arbeloa not only spared alienating him in public, but he also left it ambiguous so that all his teammates would listen, too. Because it was not just Camavinga guilty. The others were not having maximum concentration, overlooking a tricky Mallorca side. Even on the second goal, too, left back Alvaro Carreras should have done better with marking the star striker Vedat Muriqi off the ball.