Madrid's dynamic duo can't carry the load forever, warns ex-pro
Former player 'Tote' delivers scathing assessment of Real Madrid following Champions League defeat, claiming only Courtois and Mbappé are performing at elite level
Two world-class performers are propping up an otherwise underperforming Real Madrid side that’s falling short of expectations on the European stage.
‘Not up to scratch’
Former footballer Jorge López Marco ‘Tote’ didn’t mince his words when discussing Real Madrid’s recent Champions League defeat to Benfica during an appearance on Radio MARCA’s ‘Despierta San Francisco’ programme.
According to Tote, the current European champions are suffering from a serious case of style over substance:
- “I’m still missing actual football” from Madrid’s performances
- The squad “isn’t built to dominate matches” against Europe’s elite
- “As a team, Madrid are a couple of levels below” where they should be
Most damningly, Tote believes Los Blancos are being carried by just two stellar performers while the rest of the squad fails to deliver consistent quality.
“They have the world’s best goalkeeper and the world’s best goalscorer, but the rest doesn’t measure up,” he stated, referring to Thibaut Courtois and Kylian Mbappé. In his assessment, this dynamic duo are “holding up the club” season after season – hardly sufficient for a team with “a billion-euro budget”.
Star players under the microscope
Vinicius Jr came in for particularly harsh criticism, with Tote suggesting the Brazilian has become a shadow of his former self. “If he doesn’t take on defenders 25 times, he’s just another player,” he insisted, adding that true Madrid greats must perform consistently “Wednesday and Saturday” – something Vinicius currently isn’t managing.
Jude Bellingham wasn’t spared either. The Englishman “runs a lot and badly” according to Tote, who believes Madrid haven’t found the right position for their star midfielder. “After his first season, I see him running in insignificant areas. That looks good for the crowd, but doesn’t improve the team.”
Arbeloa’s potential
Looking to the future, Tote discussed Álvaro Arbeloa’s prospects as a potential managerial candidate, suggesting he “could make the team play better” given the weapons at his disposal, though questioned whether that would “be enough to win things”.
The former player called for patience in any assessment but stressed the need to see “a clear model, especially with the ball” established soon if Madrid are to return to their dominant best.
For a club that’s spent more bread and honey than most, the current situation is simply not Adam and Eve-able to many observers.