Despite the scoreline showing a dramatic 4-3 comeback win, Real Madrid's performance against Roma in the Champions League was nothing short of lifeless and pathetic. There is still no unity or pattern of play, with Real Madrid looking like just 11 players who all wear the same jersey. There is so much wrong at Real Madrid right now in every area of the pitch, but it can all be summed up by one stat that shows just how far Real Madrid's midfield has fallen.
As pointed out by theMadridZone on X, Thibaut Courtois completed more passes in the first half (19) than Fede Valverde (16) and Aurelien Tchouameni (17), Real Madrid's starting midfield pivot. Not only is this stat embarrassing, but it's also damning evidence of the drastic falloff in Real Madrid's midfield quality from the previous generation of Toni Kroos, Casemiro, and Luka Modric, and it tells you everything wrong with Real Madrid right now.
Yes, Real Madrid's midfield really is that bad...
Real Madrid's midfield used to be the heartbeat of the team, with a trio who could take a game by the scruff of the neck and go and win it themselves; now they're getting out passed by a goalkeeper. Not only are they getting out passed by a goalkeeper, Manu Kone, who came off injured in the 17th minute, had just four fewer touches than Tchouameni and five fewer than Valverde, and they played 70 and 90 minutes, respectfully. For a team like Real Madrid, that simply cannot happen.
Ever since the departures of Toni Kroos and Luka Modric, it's been clear to many fans that the midfield is the weakest and most vulnerable area on the pitch, but yesterday's performance against Roma has made it more obvious than ever, and something has to change immediately.
Valverde and Tchouameni as a midfield pivot doesn't work; it's that simple. It doesn't matter how many times you play them together, hoping that it will finally click; it won't, and Jose Mourinho needs to realize this, or the poor results are just going to become commonplace this season.
Valverde is more suited to being a player who plays wide on the right, and Tchouameni is more suited to playing either as a centre-back, or alongside a midfielder with more of a deep-lying playmaker, so he doesn't have to worry about controlling the tempo with deep passing and can just worry about defending.
Real Madrid's squad doesn't have that kind of player, so Mourinho has to keep using this pivot that is going to fail every time.
And this is going to be Real Madrid's downfall this season: Mourinho's refusal to try something new, and the club's refusal to sign a midfielder in the summer. The writing was already on the wall at the start of the season that this was going to be a rough year, and the dreadful performance from the midfield against Roma did nothing but reassure fans of what they already knew.
Add us as a preferred source on Google