La Liga (Spanish League) Prediction Thread 2025/26

[Xyloo]

I agree that Xabi should have stayed, but i also think he didn’t really have any authority, and on top of that the results were pretty bad. Arbeloa kinda reminds me of Di Matteo when he replaced Villas Boas at Chelsea in 2011/12 , and we all know he ended up winning the UCL.So who knows, maybe Arbeloa could do something similar :)Klopp coming back as a coach would be nice too, i honestly kind of miss his style of football

The horse is seen in a long run, it is premature to judge Arbeola and already maintain that he is better than Alonso.
Real Madrid is a very peculiar team, the management is not at all simple, imagine having a stable with thoroughbred horses, they are all too agitated and if they do not have a good tamer every horse does its own thing, damaging the riding stables.
Real Madrid I see it that way, they have a very powerful "heart" but the management must be careful.

The players are perhaps among the best in the world in terms of individual quality, but they lack cohesive skills. Perhaps this is what creates a need for a good manager. I believe that with a good manager, Real Madrid could become an invincible team. Because, despite many criticisms, their defensive players are actually very good. They only have a noticeable deficiency in a central defender; otherwise, they need a playmaker in midfield. If they make good transfers to these two positions, Real Madrid could become an unbeatable team.

[Sexylizzy2813]

Snip

Madrid this season is a mission failed, they don't have what it takes to put fear on their opponents, like you said in their last game Madrid struggled, it wasn't suppose to be their day of winning that game but luck was on their side. In fact since the beginning of this campaign they have been struggling and playing desperate football, why? Because they need to avoid Barcelona getting close to them base on point and also to always stay close to Barcelona for them to make a mistake and they'll have to top the league table, that have been Madrid since this season which I don't think it will help them win anything this season. Currently Barcelona are not even looking at Madrid how they play or if the win or not, Barcelona have taken the law into their hands to take care of business how they want and that is winning every game till the end of this campaign.

Before Carlo Ancelotti left, the team had already being experiencing a downward trend in performance in all competitions, from the La'liga to the UCL and the Copa del Rey, then it came to Xabi Alonso's turn yet there wasn't much improvement perhaps the reason he was relieved of his duties as coach of Real Madrid.
Now Abeloa seems to be doing a good job but there's still a lot of loop holes in the squad and lots of injury problems that could hinder Real Madrid from achieving anything this season.

You are right, it was Ancelotti's era that all these weaknesses started and they couldn't even wake up after he left, Alonso came with the hope of turning the weak Madrid to the Leverkusen he left but it never happened the way he plan, it became worse and mind you the tenor of Alonso the injury players was much, like they hardly spend time on the pitch instead they choose to stay off the pitch for months. So now we have Arbeloa that is so lucky to have almost all the players back on track but yet nothing strong is happening on the team, it will be so annoying if Madrid some how win the La Liga because if they do with this poor form it will be a disgrace for Barcelona.

It's important to remember that the players are very high-quality. Under Ancelotti, when there weren't injuries, Real Madrid played much better. Today, there are very few injured players, and I think they're playing tactically worse than during Ancelotti's time. While I see Real Madrid's chances of winning the Spanish league this year ahead of Barcelona as slim, it's still possible. We're certain that Real Madrid will need a good manager at the end of the season.

The injured players was there when Ancelotti was with the team, we have Alonso who suffered with these players and made him to play players in positions that they are not familiar with  and I believe they didn't play like they used to and no manager can manage a team in that kind of state. Honestly we can point out what is the issue with Real Madrid because their form is something that isn't improving, is like they are comfortable with that. Tomorrow they'd ask the current manager that they are done with him and we shouldn't be surprised meanwhile the players are the ones that they need to face to know why they find it hard to stay fit.

[banana33]

On the other hand, this proves that there is a serious problem with the team's performance, it must be said that one of the main causes of their defeats lies in their fragile defence. If Real Betis continue to perform like this, it is entirely possible that their position will be taken by a team below them, with Celta being the strongest contender.

they are trying to recover but i understand that the desire they are putting in is fundamental, the advantage that Barcelona have for example is largely recoverable and if they start pushing they can do it, regarding Atletico Madrid i don't think there are many problems for them to win.

[SilverCryptoBullet]

The injured players was there when Ancelotti was with the team, we have Alonso who suffered with these players and made him to play players in positions that they are not familiar with  and I believe they didn't play like they used to and no manager can manage a team in that kind of state. Honestly we can point out what is the issue with Real Madrid because their form is something that isn't improving, is like they are comfortable with that. Tomorrow they'd ask the current manager that they are done with him and we shouldn't be surprised meanwhile the players are the ones that they need to face to know why they find it hard to stay fit.

Player injuries are big problems in Real Madrid in two latest seasons and it did not end after Ancelotti leaving the club. There were injuries when Xabi Alonso was the head coach in first half of this season and there are injuries when Arbeloa is their head coach. With any coaches, star player injuries are always nightmare and in Real Madrid, they are like Arsenal years ago with many players injured.

Lately there was drama that medical staffs in Real Madrid did made some mistakes with Mbappe, Camavinga and it forced Rodrygo doing a recheck on whether he got a surgery at an accurate leg. That's ridiculous and only Real Madrid have internal information to know that drama is true or not but just look at how many players injured in their club when the season comes to most important weeks, likely it will continue affecting their performances in remaining matches.

[$weetne$$]

Florentino Perez made his decision in a haste. This is my opinion. He shouldn't have got sacked just to bring an inexperienced name like Arbeloa. By the way I believe that Arbeloa is just temporary there.  

Xabi Alonso should have been given time for a whole season then they would decide his future. Now I just hope Arbeloa's replacement would be a good name. I would love to see Klopp at Real Madrid like in the rumours. Klopp vs Flick would be so much fun!

I do not think Xabi is experienced as a coach than Arbeloa is, so if we are looking at this two experience wise, we cannot say Xabi is better, and Arbeloa has been in the Real Madrid structure for the longest, but then by tactical development, i feel Xabi was getting better but was not given the needed time for the full development of it but then he has has left and as plans are on to replace Arbeloa despite his little achievements, we hope the replacement will be worth it.

[Fakhrulenclix]

Florentino Perez made his decision in a haste. This is my opinion. He shouldn't have got sacked just to bring an inexperienced name like Arbeloa. By the way I believe that Arbeloa is just temporary there.  

Xabi Alonso should have been given time for a whole season then they would decide his future. Now I just hope Arbeloa's replacement would be a good name. I would love to see Klopp at Real Madrid like in the rumours. Klopp vs Flick would be so much fun!

I do not think Xabi is experienced as a coach than Arbeloa is, so if we are looking at this two experience wise, we cannot say Xabi is better, and Arbeloa has been in the Real Madrid structure for the longest, but then by tactical development, i feel Xabi was getting better but was not given the needed time for the full development of it but then he has has left and as plans are on to replace Arbeloa despite his little achievements, we hope the replacement will be worth it.

At least Xabi Alonso has already proven himself when he became the coach of Leverkusen, whereas Arbeloa has not done anything, and even since Arbeloa first became the coach of Real Madrid, the team has actually gotten worse, and that is what makes many people not trust Arbeloa, even though now, over time, that problem has slowly started to be resolved, and I think that for now we can already support Arbeloa.

[Pandu Geddon]

If a coach does not get respect from one or more players, it will be a problem for the team. Whether it's true or not, Madrid needs to fix their team for the next season. They have good players, but if they end up having problems with the coach, the situation will continue to be a problem for Madrid. Madrid needs to prove themselves as a team, not from each player being superior.

Xabi Alonso was a great manager. But he left madrid because of conflicts with the players. He did not get enough respect in madrid. I saw him strengthen the mediocre squad of leverkusen. But the madrid management did not  give him enough time.
Anyway, it is not possible to say that the new manager Arbeloa is doing a very good job. The Madrid management is looking for an experienced manager. But  if the players in the squad do not show enough respect to the manager , then keeping madrid stable will be a big challenge for any manager.

Indeed, the next step will also be difficult for Madrid if they do not find a coach who can really control the character of their star players. And if such a situation continues next season, it may be difficult for Madrid to maintain their team's performance at a good level. What might happen instead is that only the new manager will continue to be blamed.

[Agbamoni]

Ancelotti has confirmed Raphinha felt a muscle injury during the game with Brazil.

Barcelona fans don't need injuries at this moment. Eventually, Raphinha is experince a tough time right now. He was injured while playing for Brazil yesterday. Raphinaha is going to be out for 4 weeks.

Unfortunately, he will miss a few games for Barcelona, most especially against Atletico Madrid.

[KTChampions]

Florentino Perez made his decision in a haste. This is my opinion. He shouldn't have got sacked just to bring an inexperienced name like Arbeloa. By the way I believe that Arbeloa is just temporary there.  

Xabi Alonso should have been given time for a whole season then they would decide his future. Now I just hope Arbeloa's replacement would be a good name. I would love to see Klopp at Real Madrid like in the rumours. Klopp vs Flick would be so much fun!

Real Madrid have standards and they are quite high - either you produce results or you don't. The club's dynamics under Xabi's leadership were unsatisfactory. Arbeloa is showing better results so far, but only titles will be decisive. We'll see at the end of the season. As for Klopp, it seems everyone is tired of these rumors and Klopp himself is tired of denying them. It seems the last time he said that, firstly, he will not return and, secondly, he would rather go to Atletico than to Real.

[Italian Panic]

If a coach does not get respect from one or more players, it will be a problem for the team. Whether it's true or not, Madrid needs to fix their team for the next season. They have good players, but if they end up having problems with the coach, the situation will continue to be a problem for Madrid. Madrid needs to prove themselves as a team, not from each player being superior.

Xabi Alonso was a great manager. But he left madrid because of conflicts with the players. He did not get enough respect in madrid. I saw him strengthen the mediocre squad of leverkusen. But the madrid management did not  give him enough time.
Anyway, it is not possible to say that the new manager Arbeloa is doing a very good job. The Madrid management is looking for an experienced manager. But  if the players in the squad do not show enough respect to the manager , then keeping madrid stable will be a big challenge for any manager.

Indeed, the next step will also be difficult for Madrid if they do not find a coach who can really control the character of their star players. And if such a situation continues next season, it may be difficult for Madrid to maintain their team's performance at a good level. What might happen instead is that only the new manager will continue to be blamed.

Xabi Alonso is a great manager, but he wasn’t ready for Real Madrid yet. Let’s just say that many club presidents try to find the "next Guardiola" by appointing young managers, particularly those who were highly technical midfielders, in an attempt to emulate the catalan manager road. The reality is that a good midfielder isn not necessarily a good manager, and for a former player to be a good manager, they need to be allowed to make mistakes, something you simply can’t afford to do at Real Madrid.

[Volgastallion]

Is crazy to thing Arbeloa is doing much better than Xabi Alonso this only show how bad persons and ego persons are the players of the Real Madrid they dont want a coach who said how to do things like always and they only want a coach who doesnt take big decissions they clearly made Xabi fall. For that i dont want to see them winning.

[Finebone]

The players are perhaps among the best in the world in terms of individual quality, but they lack cohesive skills. Perhaps this is what creates a need for a good manager. I believe that with a good manager, Real Madrid could become an invincible team. Because, despite many criticisms, their defensive players are actually very good. They only have a noticeable deficiency in a central defender; otherwise, they need a playmaker in midfield. If they make good transfers to these two positions, Real Madrid could become an unbeatable team.

I am not a sport or football analyst, but by looking at this real madrid team, it's very easy to spot their problem or weaknesses, and punish them through there, I agree with you that they need a little bit of strengthening at the center back position, but where they really need a quality player is in their midfield, they have not replaced Toni kroos that left the club a few years back, all the players playing their recently are not up to that standard.

Additionally, they should stop trying to force mbappe into the team because by doing so, they are weakening the potency of their attack. Playing him as a false nine is not helping the team because he is not an attacker, even though he produces a lot of goals for the team, because his main position that he is more effective in, is from the left, the position occupy by vinicius junior, so because they don't want to relegate any of them to the bench, that's why they are having problems most times in attack.
All this while that mbappe is out injured, we all can see how productive their attack is, but once he is back, their will be chaos in their attacking third, which am not really surprised at.

[Sim_card]

The players are perhaps among the best in the world in terms of individual quality, but they lack cohesive skills. Perhaps this is what creates a need for a good manager. I believe that with a good manager, Real Madrid could become an invincible team. Because, despite many criticisms, their defensive players are actually very good. They only have a noticeable deficiency in a central defender; otherwise, they need a playmaker in midfield. If they make good transfers to these two positions, Real Madrid could become an unbeatable team.

I don't know why everyone sees Arbeloa as a coach that's incapable of managing the team but from his match records so far, he's doing great with the team. I believe that he will be able to win a trophy for Real Madrid if he makes it to the finals. Bayern Munich match will be a big challenge for him.

[abhiseshakana]

The players are perhaps among the best in the world in terms of individual quality, but they lack cohesive skills. Perhaps this is what creates a need for a good manager. I believe that with a good manager, Real Madrid could become an invincible team. Because, despite many criticisms, their defensive players are actually very good. They only have a noticeable deficiency in a central defender; otherwise, they need a playmaker in midfield. If they make good transfers to these two positions, Real Madrid could become an unbeatable team.

I don't know why everyone sees Arbeloa as a coach that's incapable of managing the team but from his match records so far, he's doing great with the team. I believe that he will be able to win a trophy for Real Madrid if he makes it to the finals. Bayern Munich match will be a big challenge for him.

It is difficult to judge whether a manager is any good if he has not yet spent a full season with the team he is coaching, but given the immense pressure he has to cope with , he is sometimes forced to step aside .. it's not necessarily because he is bad, but sometimes it just simply because of a divergence of philosophy, and I believe that is what happened to Xabi at Real Madrid. Arbeloa isn’t a lousy  coach, but he’s no better than Xabi either , and I reckon he was chosen because he’s easier to deal with, just as the big boss wanted.

[UpTober]

Xabi Alonso was a great manager. But he left madrid because of conflicts with the players. He did not get enough respect in madrid. I saw him strengthen the mediocre squad of leverkusen. But the madrid management did not  give him enough time.
Anyway, it is not possible to say that the new manager Arbeloa is doing a very good job. The Madrid management is looking for an experienced manager. But  if the players in the squad do not show enough respect to the manager , then keeping madrid stable will be a big challenge for any manager.

I also think that Real Madrid do not give enough time to their managers to see how well they can make the team to be better and competitive than before. Xabi Alonso, if he has been given more time, I think he will have a better time and chance in this club than Arbeola. Till now, I haven’t seen anything fascinating about Arbeola that Xabi Alonso hasn’t done during his stay in the club, so I feel he can do better if given the same opportunity. So far, there is nothing that can be used to quantify how good Arbeola is, maybe if he wins a trophy he can be said to be good but for now, I think he’ll have to do something spectacular.

Real Madrid are trying to hire a good manager for their club and they have already consulted with several managers, one of whom may be seen taking charge from next season. Before that, Xabi Alonso was the manager of Real Madrid, but in a short time he could not really improve Real Madrid, rather, Real Madrid performed comparatively poorly during his time, as well as his understanding with the players was not good, due to which the manager was forced to remove himself from the responsibility of this manager because he may have felt that where the understanding with the players is not good, no matter how hard he tries, it is not possible to do anything good. However, the expectations of the Madrid fans will be much higher from the one who will take charge of Real Madrid in the future.

[cocadalcan]

The injured players was there when Ancelotti was with the team, we have Alonso who suffered with these players and made him to play players in positions that they are not familiar with  and I believe they didn't play like they used to and no manager can manage a team in that kind of state. Honestly we can point out what is the issue with Real Madrid because their form is something that isn't improving, is like they are comfortable with that. Tomorrow they'd ask the current manager that they are done with him and we shouldn't be surprised meanwhile the players are the ones that they need to face to know why they find it hard to stay fit.

It is very difficult for the traditional and popular team Real Madrid to solve the problem because the best players in their team cannot play well. Ancelotti was fired before the end of last season but the team management blamed him as the person responsible for the situation even though the injury problem in the team was obvious at that time. After that although Xabi was appointed as the team manager in a very short time, his tenure was not very long. He has already been fired this season. Arbeloa, who is currently the manager and is doing well, will almost certainly have to leave if he cannot bring any trophy this season.

[fuguebtc]

At least Xabi Alonso has already proven himself when he became the coach of Leverkusen, whereas Arbeloa has not done anything, and even since Arbeloa first became the coach of Real Madrid, the team has actually gotten worse, and that is what makes many people not trust Arbeloa, even though now, over time, that problem has slowly started to be resolved, and I think that for now we can already support Arbeloa.

Madrid management was very hasty in firing Alonso. They should have given Alonso enough time. We all saw how Alonso worked hard and brought the Bundesliga title to a mediocre team like Leverkusen. If Alonso was given enough opportunities, Madrid would have definitely benefited.

Madrid players did not give Alonso enough respect. At the same time, Alonso did not follow  his instructions properly. This is the utmost disrespect for a manager. Arbeloa has not yet been able to stabilize the team. Madrid's squad is strong. That is why they are not losing points consistently. But madrid's performance is not stable now, which is easy to understand. I think real madrid will stumble badly against Munich in the champions league match.

[Uhde]

~

"Offense wins games, defense wins championships."
Barçelona winning the UCL with this defense is out of the question. They need to shore things up at the back.

Well said, it seems like Dzwaafu11 has completely forgotten what happened to Barcelona last season in the UCL against Inter Milan. Yes, the team may be offensive in all its matches but all it takes is one stubborn team that knows how to beat that offside trap, and it's game over for Barcelona in the tournament. Suddenly there is no plan be to beat the stubborn team.

Different opponent pose different kinds of threats and all the departments of the team have to be sharp. The strike force has to be good in some games, midfield in other games, defense and the keeper in certain hard games. This is exactly how Real Madrid has been winning most of the UCL trophies in the past decade while some people actually thought it was just luck.

Facing Atletico Madrid makes me think this match is a worthy challenge, especially since Simeone has players who are mostly capable of drawing Barcelona players out of their strategic formation. Against opponents like this, Barcelona always struggles when the intensity of their play is matched or even countered, the rhythm that is usually their greatest strength begins to lose its effectiveness. As a result Barcelona often loses control of the game, as the opponent is able to disrupt their patterns and force them to play outside their game plan.

I agree. Atletico has a chance against Barcelona for sure. Atletico is such a wildcard team They can thump Barcelona 5-0 if they’re in the mood. If they're on top of their game they can take down any team on the planet.

[xzone]

Ancelotti has confirmed Raphinha felt a muscle injury during the game with Brazil.

Barcelona fans don't need injuries at this moment. Eventually, Raphinha is experince a tough time right now. He was injured while playing for Brazil yesterday. Raphinaha is going to be out for 4 weeks.

Unfortunately, he will miss a few games for Barcelona, most especially against Atletico Madrid.

I feel sorry for Raphinha; I didn't think he'd suffered such a serious injury. A month is a long time, and he'll miss some crucial matches. I hope Barcelona doesn't perform poorly and drop points during this period.
I would be really upset if they lost the league title; they've had a great season, but they'll have lost an important player at a critical time

[Antotena]

Indeed, the next step will also be difficult for Madrid if they do not find a coach who can really control the character of their star players. And if such a situation continues next season, it may be difficult for Madrid to maintain their team's performance at a good level. What might happen instead is that only the new manager will continue to be blamed.

Am I the only person that is lost here about Real Madrid players been disrespectful? These altitude you all see in Real Madrid is everywhere else, even Salah disrespect his coach. Gernacho did more than enough and people don't see big deal about it. Sometimes, even the coaches are wrong, after all they are human beings and can be mean and can also do mistake. I don't think the way Arbeloa will have any issues with them like the way Xabi was having hard times with the players.

You know one thing about a team, if the players are getting what they want, almost everyone get their playing time, I don't think the players will be worried. The team priority and objective is to win and that's what Real Madrid is doing right now. The next thing now is to for the team to focus on the Champions League and and keep eye open to see what Barcelona will do with the remaining games, if they loss then maybe there is more chance to push harder.