La Liga (Spanish League) Prediction Thread 2025/26

[Alpha Marine]

Xabi Alonso really needs to fix this before the season starts. There was something wrong with the strategy he employed in yesterday's match. And the team chemistry wasn't good either. Poor teamwork will only result in poor play. Even if a team is filled with many star players, without good teamwork, it won't change the situation or make the team better.

When it comes to Madrid, they will always struggle when they meet a technical midfield and an attack that presses well and creates chances easily. That is why they had so many issues when  they faced Barcelona last season and why they couldn't win against Arsenal over both legs, and the same reason why they were humiliated against PSG last night.

Madrid's problem to me is not really the defence. The problem starts from the midfield to the attack The midfield doesn't know how to retain the ball and control the game. They don't have a player who can do that. That is why I laugh when I see people make fun of Pedri because it is because of players like pedri that a team can control the tempo of a game. PSG has that kind of player in Vitinha, Bayern have Kimmich. When you look at other top teams in the past, they all had that figure in midfield. Madrid had Kroos, but the mistake they made was replacing him with players who can do what he does. Both Belligham and Valvede can't do that. They can be very good players in other positions, but as controllers, they will fumble.

Then we talk about the attack. Vini and Mbappe are not players who can work hard off the ball. The first 2 goals of PSG yesterday came out of the hard work of Dembele. We've seen how hard Raphinha works off the ball for Barcelona. This is what modern football is, and if you're not ready for it, your defence and post will pay for it. 
IMO, Madrid's problem is not difficult to fix as long as the coach can identify it and make plans for it and make sure the players execute it the way he wants. If they can't do that, then its going to be another bad season.

[pawel7777]

Even though reaching the semi-final of the FIFA Club World Cup could be seen as a success on its own, the way Real got dismantled by PSG raises a lot of concerns.
Apparently Real's fans are not happy, and some media are reporting that fans demand two of defenders to be sold:
https://www.givemesport.com/real-madrid-fans-want-two-players-sold-psg-loss

Antonio Rudiger and Raul Asencio were responsible for losing the first 2 goals (within the first 10 minutes of the game). I'm not sure what caused experienced defenders to make such schoolboys' mistakes, I guess bad things happen and not much can be done about that.
PSG put a lot of pressure on Real from the first minutes, and that tactic paid off. I don't think the outcome would be much different if Real didn't lose those first 2 goals. PSG was clearly stronger and could create chances almost effortlessly, while Real struggled with that.

[Miles2006]

I don't think that's entirely true because if you watch the match, you can conclude that PSG's defense looked much better and they were always ready to break down the attacks Real Madrid tried to build.
This shows how important a coach's experience is, because I'm sure Luis Enrique understands which positions need to be guarded more tightly so Real Madrid can't create scoring opportunities.

PSG's performance was outstanding in this match. Although I initially doubted they could beat Real Madrid, they proved it.
Xabi Alonso has not fully adapted well because when facing a much more balanced opponent, their defense actually looked uncoordinated so that the opponent was able to score 4 goals without reply.

The current PSG team is stronger than Real Madrid in all departments and the PSG team is quite balanced compared to Real Madrid. Yesterday, PSG's plan was the strongest, against which Real Madrid showed helplessness. Even PSG's players succeeded in performing according to the plan and defeated Real Madrid 4-0.
I will point to the balance of the team as the reason for such a shameful loss of Real Madrid. There is no balance in their team and everyone is playing in their own way which is quite chaotic. They are even unable to play according to the plan. Coach Xabi Alonso has not yet been able to adapt to Real Madrid. We may have to wait for a few more matches for good results.

Since Real Madrid lost to PSG by a huge margin of 4-0, it does not mean that PSG is currently a stronger team than Real Madrid. PSG played football on the field in a way that is actually possible for a big and professional team. I only thought about how much work a manager can do to bring such a team to such a level. The team depends on young players and young players are bringing PSG to victory in every match. Maybe PSG's performance will make Real Madrid think again and Real Madrid may plan how big a barrier the team they lost so badly to in the semi-finals of the Club World Cup can be for them in the Champions League. Those who actually watch football will definitely appreciate PSG's game, whether they support PSG or not.

Fair enough we’ve seen Real Madrid in this poor state for a long time and recently I thought something better might come out against PSG either a draw because both teams are strong so I never expected less from PSG likewise Real Madrid and it turns out PSG had the capacity of winning which is normal. What are the possibilities Real Madrid will improve viewing their performance, I came across a news by Fabrizio Romano stating Real Madrid might remove a top player which is yet to be confirmed meanwhile will this action save the team.

[imamusma]

~~

Xabi Alonso really needs to fix this before the season starts. There was something wrong with the strategy he employed in yesterday's match. And the team chemistry wasn't good either. Poor teamwork will only result in poor play. Even if a team is filled with many star players, without good teamwork, it won't change the situation or make the team better.

Besides the poor defense, I think the blunt attack was also a problem in yesterday's match against PSG. The midfield didn't look particularly good either. So I think Xabi Alonso really needs to improve everything there. But it's not about the players in the squad. It's about teamwork and perhaps the strategy employed. Because, in terms of squad depth, I think Real Madrid is already quite good.

That's right, Xabi Alonso hasn't found the right strategy to maximize his squad potential, and the defeat to PSG proved that. I think Xabi Alonso needs to focus more on improving his defense. Conceding four goals in one match indicates his defense is indeed very porous.
I think this is part of the risk when building a squad with a majority of attacking minded players, making the defensive line very vulnerable to conceding goals. Meanwhile, the three defender scheme doesn't seem to be effective, Xabi Alonso still needs to find the right strategy going forward.

[Dzwaafu11]

~snip~

Xabi Alonso is a prominent manager for the club and have been very careful with the settings of the club. He's one of these managers that wouldn't want to dissapoints anyone because there are more level of trusts on him to do a better job in Real Madrid. Been his first season, there comes so many challenges he needs to overcome and we're not seeing him making a perfect Real Madrid next season, it will take time to see Real Madrid back to their heels.

I'm dome with getting excited over the extreme performance of Real Madrid and how they end up been humiliated. Real Madrid is a vital club that have won major trophies, they have history in Europe so they still have that respect earned. Real Madrid will continue to develop and acknowledge their mistakes, creating rooms for improvement is all they need to get better.

Can’t wait to see that though. However, I have to tell someone this today: while arguing with me, Xabi Alonso would not want to make any wrong move in this club even though it is his first season. With how fans and the management are expecting the manager to perform, I think the expectation is very high, and that is what I think will make him face some challenges managing this team for the first season. Alonso has been making sure to arrange this club ahead of next season; hopefully he will deliver the expected result.

[Zoomic]

Antonio Rudiger and Raul Asencio were responsible for losing the first 2 goals (within the first 10 minutes of the game). I'm not sure what caused experienced defenders to make such schoolboys' mistakes, I guess bad things happen and not much can be done about that.
PSG put a lot of pressure on Real from the first minutes, and that tactic paid off. I don't think the outcome would be much different if Real didn't lose those first 2 goals. PSG was clearly stronger and could create chances almost effortlessly, while Real struggled with that.

I am sorry to say this, as a coach, I will not allow someone like Rudiger to lead my defense. I consider him as someone of inconsistent character. He is not stable to my liking. At a point he behaves comic, at another point he is playful and in another situation, he is totally violent. There is no doubt that he is a good defender in his day, but he needs to be a little beat coordinated to be trusted with a role of leading the defence.

Take Ramos for instance, no matter how violent or threatening he appears, he still leads the team and direct the defence very well without so much obvious errors. I might be wrong in what I am saying, but I don't just trust Rudiger.

[BITCOIN4X]

~Snip

Xabi Alonso really needs to fix this before the season starts. There was something wrong with the strategy he employed in yesterday's match. And the team chemistry wasn't good either. Poor teamwork will only result in poor play. Even if a team is filled with many star players, without good teamwork, it won't change the situation or make the team better.

Besides the poor defense, I think the blunt attack was also a problem in yesterday's match against PSG. The midfield didn't look particularly good either. So I think Xabi Alonso really needs to improve everything there. But it's not about the players in the squad. It's about teamwork and perhaps the strategy employed. Because, in terms of squad depth, I think Real Madrid is already quite good.

On the other hand, this is further proof that PSG are currently far superior to Real Madrid in terms of performance. PSG can put Real Madrid under pressure and make mistakes that lead to goals. Real Madrid certainly has good squad depth, but when the opposing team plays better, any strategy may be ineffective. We shouldn't just focus on how Real Madrid should play to win, while we forget how to appreciate the opposing team that has a better performance.

PSG are now in the final and need just one more win to complete their title quest. Luis Enrique and his team are in high spirits, but Chelsea certainly won't stand idly by and allow PSG to progress unabated. PSG may be the favorites in the final, but football is unpredictable.

[TelolettOm]

Xabi Alonso really needs to fix this before the season starts. There was something wrong with the strategy he employed in yesterday's match. And the team chemistry wasn't good either. Poor teamwork will only result in poor play. Even if a team is filled with many star players, without good teamwork, it won't change the situation or make the team better.

Exactly, the competition ahead will be very tough, not only in La Liga, where Barcelona has a very solid squad and coach. But the competition in the UCL is also very tough, with PSG as champions this season and several top clubs now forming even stronger clubs.

So, indeed, Xabi must be able to fix this and find a more appropriate approach, not speculation that could be detrimental in decisive matches.

I read an interview with Luis Enrique regarding his response to Xabi, and here it is:

Source: Luis Enrique on Xabi Alonso.

[CryptoYar]

[...]

These are some really important issues about Xabi Alonso tactics and recent loss to PSG. Team defense clearly has problems letting in four goals. You are right that having too many attacking players can make defense weak. It also looks his three defender plan is not working, showing he is still trying to find best way to use his players to make them strong everywhere especially in defense. It will be interesting to see how he fixes these defensive issues.

[Luzin]

These are some really important issues about Xabi Alonso tactics and recent loss to PSG. Team defense clearly has problems letting in four goals. You are right that having too many attacking players can make defense weak. It also looks his three defender plan is not working, showing he is still trying to find best way to use his players to make them strong everywhere especially in defense. It will be interesting to see how he fixes these defensive issues.

Enrique is right to understand Xabi's situation with Madrid. Most observers will know that during the semi-final, they didn't have a pure center-back. Rudiger didn't have a defensive partner, and he even made an error that led to a goal. I think Xabi kept racking his brains to get the ideal composition for that semi-final. In the end all plans failed and indeed PSG were much better. Now Xabi must think ahead. The condition of the team seems to be not ideal as long as many players are injured. Xabi may be able to add more players to the defense to face next season with a busy schedule.

[bitcoin_mining]

[...]

These are some really important issues about Xabi Alonso tactics and recent loss to PSG. Team defense clearly has problems letting in four goals. You are right that having too many attacking players can make defense weak. It also looks his three defender plan is not working, showing he is still trying to find best way to use his players to make them strong everywhere especially in defense. It will be interesting to see how he fixes these defensive issues.

In my opinion, Real Madrid's defense is very weak at the moment and if a team's defense is so weak, then the overall performance of that team is sure to be bad. When the defense is in good condition, the opponent's attacks can be easily repelled. Real Madrid's defense performed so badly in the last match that the strikers and midfielders did not get any chance to bring the team back into the match. I think the Real Madrid manager should definitely think carefully about their defense. If their defense line-up does not change much in the new season, then they will again be a failed team in all kinds of tournaments only because of their defense. Before Real Madrid's defeat by PSG in the Club World Cup semi-finals, Real Madrid had a bad experience against Barcelona in La Liga and that bad experience was in all the El Clasico matches last season, but Real Madrid was defeated. They must work on these weaknesses and return to good performance.

[AirtelBuzz]

I lack words to describe this defeat Rela Madrid just suffered against PSG, xabi Alonso was really hyped before this fixture in that they were looking at his performance from where he came from to Real Madrid and the achievements there, it made everyone believe that since he has made it this far in this tournament,  and considering his person, he was going to win PSG seeing  that they have mbappe who understands PSG so well and would have enlightened Madrid on better ways to get PSG but even without some mainstay defenders PSG did not concede a goal which made it a classic.

I was rooting for Real Madrid to beat PSG yesterday because for Real Madrid to make it to the semi-final of the Club World Cup tournament and remain undefeated, Real Madrid had what it took to beat PSG last night, but I was totally surprised by how poorly Real Madrid performed against PSG and failed to score a goal against PSG. PSG really exposed Real Madrid yesterday, and if Real Madrid doesn't sign some quality players before the transfer window closes, they will find it difficult to beat strong clubs next season.

It is true that Real Madrid players were not explosive against PSG, so if they do not prepare properly for the upcoming season, it may be difficult for them to beat strong clubs. We observed that PSG managed to defeat Los Blancos for the first time in the FIFA Club World Cup and the French club's manager has mentioned that Madrid's Xabi Alonso needs time to work and start pre-season. It seemed completely incongruous to me because in this FIFA Club World Cup tournament, Xabi Alonso was adamant that his team had improved in every way but they were unable to pick up their pace against the Parisians in the semi-final match of this tournament‌ so it is to be believed that Luis Enrique's team deserves to be on the list of the best for their progress in the Club World Cup tournament.

[wakier]

[...]

These are some really important issues about Xabi Alonso tactics and recent loss to PSG. Team defense clearly has problems letting in four goals. You are right that having too many attacking players can make defense weak. It also looks his three defender plan is not working, showing he is still trying to find best way to use his players to make them strong everywhere especially in defense. It will be interesting to see how he fixes these defensive issues.

I'm curious about how Xabi Alonso will improve Real Madrid. He's been adamant about developing a game plan with young players, but the results haven't been visible. In fact, Real Madrid's defense looks weak. Xabi Alonso hasn't found the right strategy so far, and he still has a chance to correct his mistakes before the season starts.

Let alone Xabi Alonso, even Carlo Ancelotti has a bit of a headache managing a club with too many attacking players, which ultimately makes their defense slack. So, we can't judge Ancelotti for being incapable of managing Madrid when they have so many star players. In fact, even when changing coaches, Madrid has experienced the same thing.

[barisbilgili]

[...]

These are some really important issues about Xabi Alonso tactics and recent loss to PSG. Team defense clearly has problems letting in four goals. You are right that having too many attacking players can make defense weak. It also looks his three defender plan is not working, showing he is still trying to find best way to use his players to make them strong everywhere especially in defense. It will be interesting to see how he fixes these defensive issues.

There's still plenty of time for Xabi Alonso to improve, and I think it's too early to judge him.
Real Madrid's performance in the Club World Cup wasn't impressive, but Xabi Alonso should still be supported to lead La Liga next season. I'm still very optimistic that Xabi Alonso can make Real Madrid even better next season.

[len01]

There's still plenty of time for Xabi Alonso to improve, and I think it's too early to judge him.
Real Madrid's performance in the Club World Cup wasn't impressive, but Xabi Alonso should still be supported to lead La Liga next season. I'm still very optimistic that Xabi Alonso can make Real Madrid even better next season.

Losing in the FIFA Club World Cup isn't the end of the world, is it? It's unjust to criticize a new coach before the new season begins. The real competition will come after the new season, and Alonso is currently just testing the right strategy and lineup. We all know Madrid has had success in the past, winning the UCL several times, and usually won't repeat past failures. Trust him, Alonso will prove it.

[hyudien]

There's still plenty of time for Xabi Alonso to improve, and I think it's too early to judge him.
Real Madrid's performance in the Club World Cup wasn't impressive, but Xabi Alonso should still be supported to lead La Liga next season. I'm still very optimistic that Xabi Alonso can make Real Madrid even better next season.

Losing in the FIFA Club World Cup isn't the end of the world, is it? It's unjust to criticize a new coach before the new season begins. The real competition will come after the new season, and Alonso is currently just testing the right strategy and lineup. We all know Madrid has had success in the past, winning the UCL several times, and usually won't repeat past failures. Trust him, Alonso will prove it.

For a team like Real Madrid losing 4-0 in the semi-finals is quite embarrassing, but I don't think it's entirely the coach fault because 3 of the 4 goals were purely the fault of the defenders besides the absence of Trent and Huljsen made everything look different from Madrid previous matches, I would say that their defeat yesterday was an unlucky factor. Let's see in the next season with the changes that Xabi will make, Madrid will be much better and much more prepared.

[asriloni]

I was just thinking aloud this afternoon. Are we sure we are going to witness an exciting Laliga this season? Are we sure that Real Madrid will live upto the expectation? I am not confident of Real Madrid because from last season, they have proven to be so so shallow.

Forget the individual show of the players. Just remember that those white folks ended the season trophyless last season, which is unlike them. Also, just yesterday PSG proved that Real Madrid is far from returning to their good forum. I am having this feeling that Real Madrid will struggle this season.

Always better to have low expectation instead of always thinking big for Madrid. They're just signing Xabi from Leverkusen, and need time to adapt with his club. Signing a new coach pretty much the same like resetting the club from zero. They're still having a bunch of unsolved problems. They need to fix all positions.

I expected the same like you believe they may be struggle next season. They have star players, but mostly played individually without good coop.

Although their outright odds said opposite thing, i still stick to their result in CWC, which showed how poor they're. It's too far in expecting them to win everything again.

[Fakhrulenclix]

There's still plenty of time for Xabi Alonso to improve, and I think it's too early to judge him.
Real Madrid's performance in the Club World Cup wasn't impressive, but Xabi Alonso should still be supported to lead La Liga next season. I'm still very optimistic that Xabi Alonso can make Real Madrid even better next season.

Losing in the FIFA Club World Cup isn't the end of the world, is it? It's unjust to criticize a new coach before the new season begins. The real competition will come after the new season, and Alonso is currently just testing the right strategy and lineup. We all know Madrid has had success in the past, winning the UCL several times, and usually won't repeat past failures. Trust him, Alonso will prove it.

That's right, we have to wait for the La Liga competition next season but what must be remembered is that Real Madrid fans and management will not wait for the process so Xabi Alonso must be able to immediately make changes or cover the existing shortcomings if not then I doubt that Xabi Alonso can meet the expectations of many people especially on the other hand their competitors Barcelona have had a good performance, so obviously it will be a pressure.

[Slow death]

Even though reaching the semi-final of the FIFA Club World Cup could be seen as a success on its own, the way Real got dismantled by PSG raises a lot of concerns.
Apparently Real's fans are not happy, and some media are reporting that fans demand two of defenders to be sold:
https://www.givemesport.com/real-madrid-fans-want-two-players-sold-psg-loss

Antonio Rudiger and Raul Asencio were responsible for losing the first 2 goals (within the first 10 minutes of the game). I'm not sure what caused experienced defenders to make such schoolboys' mistakes, I guess bad things happen and not much can be done about that.
PSG put a lot of pressure on Real from the first minutes, and that tactic paid off. I don't think the outcome would be much different if Real didn't lose those first 2 goals. PSG was clearly stronger and could create chances almost effortlessly, while Real struggled with that.

I don't understand what happened to these players, but also in the attack Mbappe and Vinicius Jr. weren't trying very hard, regarding the defense, the coach seems like he doesn't want to count much on the old players, I say this because he is signing new players for the defense, as shown in this news:

EXCL: Álvaro Carreras to Real Madrid, here we go! Verbal agreement in place between Real and Benfica.

Real negotiated to pay €50m in multiple installments instead of one-payment clause.

As soon as Man Utd confirm they don’t activate buy back clause, Álvaro will travel.

https://x.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1943394470885523537

I believe this is a good step that the new coach is taking. We cannot count on defense players who are constantly injured for a long time. We also need to have good, skillful defenders so that we can have a strong team in the long term. Barcelona also went through bad times when their good old players left the club, so the case of Real Madrid was also expected.

[Republikcoin.com]

Fair enough we’ve seen Real Madrid in this poor state for a long time and recently I thought something better might come out against PSG either a draw because both teams are strong so I never expected less from PSG likewise Real Madrid and it turns out PSG had the capacity of winning which is normal. What are the possibilities Real Madrid will improve viewing their performance, I came across a news by Fabrizio Romano stating Real Madrid might remove a top player which is yet to be confirmed meanwhile will this action save the team.

It could save Real Madrid, as PSG immediately performed well after Mbappé's departure to Real Madrid, even though PSG still has other top players. However, this is not so evident at PSG, as they all work together in every game and never give up easily when they lose. That's what makes PSG so great now compared to the PSG of the past, and Real Madrid still seems to have more work to do, especially in defense and midfield, which is often chaotic in providing forward passes to their attackers.