Real Betis 2 Real Madrid 1: Concerns as Ancelotti's side lose crucial ground in title race
Real Madrid are down to third place in La Liga after they were stunned by a Real Betis comeback on Saturday evening.
Carlo Ancelotti's side are level on points with Barcelona (who host Real Sociedad later today) and are now two behind Atletico Madrid, who they face in the Champions League this week.
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Madrid have taken just five of 15 points since the start of February, but this time they could not even look to the refereeing as an excuse. Their collapse prompted an honest reaction from their manager: 'Is the league slipping away from us? Yes, it's a hard blow and we have to react'.
Mario Cortegana breaks down Madrid's calamitous evening at the Benito Villamarin.
Although results can usually be explained through data and tactics, Madrid publicly and privately agreed that a lack of character was the key to the defeat against Betis.
The team switched off almost immediately after Brahim Diaz's gave the side a 10th-minute lead. '(The game) started well, but after that we were not able to maintain the initial rhythm in terms of attitude and commitment,' Ancelotti said afterwards.
The Italian, who highlighted the loss of 27 balls during the first half, was even harsher afterwards: 'Every team runs — and we didn't do well in this game.'
And the truth is that as the minutes ticked by, Madrid slowly sank under the heavy rain that meant thousands of home fans had to take cover at the end of the first half and half-time.
By contrast, Manuel Pellegrini — who coached Madrid in the 2009-10 season — and his squad came out on top, as if to live up to the famous saying that 'La lluvia en Sevilla es una maravilla' ('the rain in Seville is a marvel').
Las gradas no cubiertas están casi vacías al descanso por la lluvia. @TheAthleticFC pic.twitter.com/qzxv9Q7Bpd
— Mario Cortegana (@MarioCortegana) March 1, 2025
Several people close to the Madrid players — speaking on the condition of anonymity to protect relationships — admitted that the team had not played as if the league title was on the line. 'We've all been awful,' was one view from inside the dressing room.
Having seen nothing he liked, Ancelotti also issued a warning: 'If we play like this, we won't win on Tuesday. That's quite clear'.
Real Betis had 18 shots and generated a sense of danger with a multitude of attacks, leaving Madrid particularly exposed at corners. They capitalised with one of those deliveries to equalise, with Johnny Cardoso finishing unopposed.
Lucas Vazquez continues to struggle at right-back, the area where Betis' winning penalty came from. According to Fede Valverde's entourage, the Uruguayan will be fit to play in Tuesday's Champions League derby, and many in the day-to-day running of the squad believe he should slot back in at right-back.
Another conclusion from the defeat is that David Alaba does not look fully ready to play following his long injury layoff.
The Austrian made his comeback in January after 13 months out with a serious knee injury. Ancelotti had announced that he was ready to start in the Champions League next week, with the qualifier that he shouldn't play two games in a week for the time being.
That meant that Alaba's start against Betis was interpreted by some as a sign he would be on the bench on Tuesday, and by others as a test to see if his body is ready for more. If it was the latter scenario, then it is not a test that the centre-back seems to have passed.
Academy product Raul Asencio was benched against Betis and there are some at Valdebebas who do not understand why the Italian does not use him considering his strong performances. There is one fact that supports his particularly: in Madrid's last three defeats, Asencio was not a starter.
To make matters worse, Antonio Rudiger, who suffered a muscle injury in February, was seen in some discomfort and far from his best level, while Aurelien Tchouameni made mistakes — including nearly conceding a penalty for a foul on Ricardo Rodriguez — when he was moved from midfield to defence for 30 minutes.
'It seemed to me that the team in recent times was more organised and compact, and today we weren't like that,' noted Ancelotti.
Madrid's fast start turned out to be just a mirage, but it should be flagged that Brahim's goal came after a sequence of 19 passes — the most in an away match in La Liga this season.
19 – Real Madrid's 1-0 goal over Real Betis had 19 passes leading to the goal, the most for a Real Madrid away goal in LaLiga 2024/25.
Built. pic.twitter.com/BVE8ZXP8p8
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) March 1, 2025
The Morocco international was replacing Jude Bellingham in the final game of the suspension for his red card against Osasuna. Bellingham will not be available in the Champions League either due to an accumulation of yellow cards, so his team-mates will have to redouble their efforts to cover his absence.
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Yesterday, they lacked not only the Englishman but also the fluidity of the injured Dani Ceballos, who missed out on a chance to play at the stadium where he began his career.
Kylian Mbappe, meanwhile, failed to score for the second consecutive La Liga match. The Frenchman played a part in the opening goal but didn't have a shot of any kind and lost control of the ball on several occasions.
Even so, it was surprising that he was substituted with Madrid losing, something that Ancelotti justified with the 'problem' of this week due to the extraction of a tooth, because of which 'he has not trained much and was not at his best level'.
Vinicius had only one shot on target and Rodrygo just once off target. The former, who was yellow carded again for protesting, has one goal and one assist in La Liga since November 24 (eight games) while the latter has gone five consecutive La Liga games without scoring or assisting.
'Hopefully, this game will wake us up,' Ancelotti reflected. With a huge week ahead of them, they need to.
(Header photo: Cristina Quicler/AFP via Getty Images)
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