Mijatovic warns Real Madrid dressing room lacks leadership to avoid 'many problems'
Former Real Madrid star Predrag Mijatovic identifies the absence of veteran leadership as the key issue following Los Blancos' shock Copa del Rey exit to Albacete.
Real Madrid legend Predrag Mijatovic has pinpointed what’s gone Pete Tong at the Bernabeu after their embarrassing Copa del Rey exit to Albacete, highlighting a critical leadership vacuum in the dressing room.
Missing the old guard
Speaking on ‘El Larguero’, the Montenegrin, who famously scored Real’s winner in the 1998 Champions League final, expressed genuine concern about the current squad’s lack of experienced heads to guide the younger players through turbulent times.
“I’d be more relaxed if the team had a Modric, a Kroos, a Sergio Ramos…” Mijatovic lamented, pointing to the absence of a proper leader who can grab the youngsters by the scruff when things go south.
The former Madrid sporting director believes the team lacks someone who can step up in the dressing room and say, “Look lads, calm down, what’s happening here?” - the kind of voice that’s desperately needed after consecutive defeats to Barcelona in the Supercopa and now Albacete in the Copa.
Players, not the manager
Mijatovic doesn’t mince his words when assigning responsibility for the current crisis:
“Perhaps it’s not a manager problem, perhaps it’s a player problem,” he stated bluntly. “Now the only people who can lift this situation aren’t the president or the coach - it’s the players. There’s no other way to fix it.”
The 55-year-old suggested complacency played a massive part in the cup upset, with players thinking they could coast through the tie “with their left hand” against supposedly inferior opposition.
Comfort zone concerns
According to Mijatovic, Madrid’s players have slipped into a dangerous comfort zone, believing in their superiority and thinking they have all the time in the world to turn things around.
He warns that without addressing the leadership vacuum, “we could have many problems” - a stark warning from someone who knows the club inside out.
For a team still competing for La Liga and the Champions League, finding internal leadership quickly could be the difference between a trophy-laden season and a complete disaster.