Madrid's Supercopa surrender leaves pundits fuming: 'When has this ever been seen?'
Radio MARCA's Roberto Gómez delivered a scathing assessment of Real Madrid's approach in their Supercopa final defeat to Barcelona.
Real Madrid’s defensive approach in the Supercopa de España final has sparked fierce criticism from Spanish media, with one prominent voice questioning the very identity of the European champions.
”Playing like a small team”
Roberto Gómez, speaking on Radio MARCA’s La Tribu program, didn’t mince his words when dissecting Madrid’s performance against Barcelona. The respected journalist described himself as “tremendously disappointed” with what he witnessed, particularly in the first half.
According to Gómez, Real Madrid’s approach was completely unrecognizable from what fans expect of the 14-time European champions:
- He labeled the first-half display as that of “a minor team, a small team”
- The defensive block and counter-attacking strategy left him baffled
- He questioned when Madrid had ever approached a major final with such caution
Tactical frustrations
The decision to employ a low block with five defenders particularly irked Gómez, who couldn’t comprehend why a club of Madrid’s stature would adopt such a conservative approach in a final.
The image of Real Madrid “crouching back, trying to clear balls” was completely at odds with the club’s attacking DNA, prompting Gómez’s rhetorical question: “When has this ever been seen at Real Madrid?”
Mbappé management questioned
Bench decisions also came under fire, with Gómez questioning the handling of star forward Kylian Mbappé. The Frenchman’s limited minutes left the pundit wondering what purpose was served by his restricted involvement.
Gómez made unfavorable comparisons to previous Madrid managers, suggesting that both Zidane and Ancelotti had achieved more with inferior squads in similar situations.
No silver linings
Perhaps most telling was Gómez’s outright rejection of any positive spin being put on the defeat. He dismissed the notion that Madrid could emerge stronger from the experience:
“When has a defeat in a Real Madrid final ever been something positive? Under no circumstances,” he insisted.
In his view, Barcelona were simply superior, with the difference ultimately coming down to the decisions made from the bench. While Hansi Flick earned praise, Madrid’s approach was deemed the “big loser” of the final.
For a club built on attacking football and winning at all costs, this performance has clearly touched a nerve among the Madrid faithful. The blunt assessment from one of Spain’s veteran journalists suggests the inquest into this Supercopa surrender is only just beginning.