The defeat in the Supercopa de Espana final hurt Real Madrid given how inferior they were to Barcelona.

It was not an entirely unexpected loss given how the team arrived in Saudi Arabia, as acknowledged by Carlo Ancelotti in the post-Clasico press conference in Riyadh. This self-criticism has also been made in private, both by the coaching staff and the players.

Ancelotti and his staff admit the pain and hurt that came with the defeat, and that to bounce back requires unity and more work. There are concerns about the team’s dynamic and physical condition, and it was also discussed how demanding the upcoming fixture schedule will be.

With the Club World Cup being held in February, they could play up to 12 matches from now until the end of next month (however, some of these fixtures may be moved). Their semi-final in Morocco is on February 8, with the final and third-place playoff being played on February 11.

Real Madrid themselves highlighted the upcoming fixture congestion on their website on Monday, giving prominence to the situation with a piece titled “The calendar until the Club World Cup”. “Real Madrid will play at least five games before the Club World Cup,” it was remarked.

Ancelotti believes improvements are needed in all areas of the pitch, with the exception of goalkeeper. The most necessary aim is to regain defensive solidity, and from there, they will look to rebuild.

However, there will remain a focus on the forward line: Benzema is back, scoring five times since the World Cup break, but more goals are required from Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, Marco Asensio and even Federico Valverde, given Eden Hazard and Mariano are not considered part of the first team. Between them, only Benzema (five) and Rodrygo (one, against Cacereno, from the third-tier Primera RFEF) have scored in the five matches played after the World Cup.

Another of the elements analysed is the impact of the absence of midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni who stayed in Madrid with a calf injury instead of travelling to Riyadh. Although the performance of Toni Kroos in that position is greatly valued, the team functions best with a pure defensive pivot and lacks a vital balance both in defence and attack without Tchouameni.

The coaches recognise certain limitations in the squad, and it should be noted that there were already weaknesses at the time of Ancelotti’s return to the Bernabeu in the summer of 2021. Since then, the transfer strategy has stuck to a considered plan, understanding the priorities and, at times, the reticence of the board. This will not change in January — the plan remains that there will be no signings. The squad is valued and is absolutely capable of a resurgence in form to retain La Liga.

You only need to look at the 2021-2022 season where these limitations were evident. Of course, everything went rather well as Real completed the La Liga and Champions League double thanks to the talent, effort and bond between everyone at the club. “All this did was cover up the real situation,” a source, speaking under anonymity to protect their position at the club, tells The Athletic.

This is a thought also shared by the players, who are aware that they are not performing at the desired level. The unfortunate issue now is that there is hardly any time to review and work on issues.

Their next game comes on Thursday in the Copa del Rey away to Villarreal — a ground where they have already lost in La Liga this month.

Failure is simply not an option.

Source: theathletic.com