Madrid’s Craters: How Poor Planning, Broken Leadership, and Ancelotti’s Limits Derailed a Superteam
Real Madrid vs Barcelona – Copa del Rey Final Preview: A Broken Giant Faces the Mirror Real Madrid face Barcelona for the Copa del Rey final tomorrow, heading into the match deservedly as underdogs. This season for the Los Blancos was supposed to be all-conquering—they added the supposedly best player in the world in *Kylian Mbappé*, and the narrative was set: dominance, trophies, a statement era. But the reality? Far from it. They’ve already been embarrassed out of the Champions League by an underachieving Arsenal side, a defeat made worse by the fact that it was fully deserved. Arsenal didn't just knock them out—they outplayed them. Declan Rice channeled prime Beckham, scoring two bangers from free kicks and dominating midfield. But that wasn’t the only blemish on Madrid’s campaign. The biggest? They’ve twice lost to Barcelona this season, being outscored 9-2 across the two fixtures. The criticism is pouring in—and rightly so. The manager has been called out for his lack of tacti...