A highly anticipated clash between the last two winners of the UEFA Champions League, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, quickly became a remarkably one-sided affair. PSG secured a resounding 4-0 victory in the Club World Cup semi-finals on Wednesday, delivering one of the competition`s most lopsided outcomes.
Luis Enrique`s squad swiftly extinguished the excitement at MetLife Stadium, which hosted a largely pro-Madrid crowd. Fabian Ruiz struck in the sixth minute, Ousmane Dembele added another three minutes later, and Ruiz completed his brace by the 24th minute. While the speed of PSG`s scoring was initially surprising, by halftime, the lopsided scoreline was no longer a shock, met with boos from the Madrid supporters. Enrique`s pre-match comment describing the two clubs as being in `two very different situations` proved prophetic, even if a 4-0 thrashing wasn`t explicitly predicted. PSG`s consistent habit of overwhelming and dominating opponents, exemplified by their recent 5-0 win over Inter in the Champions League final, meant an undeniably flawed Madrid team frankly stood little chance.
Despite the introduction of new figures like manager Xabi Alonso and breakout player Gonzalo Garcia, Real Madrid`s core issues persist. Unlike PSG, who embody consistency by efficiently dismantling both footballing giants like Inter and Madrid and lesser opponents, Los Blancos exhibit a fundamental imbalance. This failure to achieve stability has repeatedly cost them throughout the season, culminating in their first trophyless campaign in four years and making their underlying problems increasingly difficult to ignore.
Where PSG successfully moved away from a strategy overly focused on individual stars before their historic treble season, Real Madrid remains constrained by a roster with significant positional excess and overlap. Wednesday presented Alonso`s first genuine opportunity to field Garcia alongside Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe, with the 21-year-old Garcia deployed in a central role within the front three. The attacking output was underwhelming – the trio collectively managed just five shots, four from Mbappe and none from Garcia, for a total expected goals of only 0.47. This contributed significantly to Madrid`s overall struggles on a day they were clearly second-best, recording just 11 shots in total, 0.75 expected goals, and holding a mere 32% possession.
This particular match isn`t necessarily a definitive judgment on the individual players` capabilities or even Alonso`s, nor does it definitively prove that balance is impossible to find among Madrid`s attacking talents. It`s also not a major shock that Alonso couldn`t instantly unlock the potential of this group in their very first start together. However, the 4-0 defeat to PSG serves as a stark reminder that the crucial balance Alonso must achieve extends far beyond just his forwards; significant work is needed across virtually every area of the pitch.
To highlight just one instance, Madrid were without Trent Alexander-Arnold due to injury. While Federico Valverde is remarkably versatile, filling in at right-back is not his natural position or area of greatest strength. This deficiency made the battles on the wings particularly challenging for Real Madrid, precisely the area where PSG builds much of its success. Even more alarming, though, was the abysmal performance of center-backs Antonio Rudiger and Raul Asensio, the latest defensive pairing to be outclassed by PSG`s formidable attacking unit. They were not merely ineffective but appeared rattled and arguably bore more responsibility for the damaging scoreline than the high-profile attacking trio that often draws the most attention.
The match also provided a less-than-ideal sendoff for Luka Modric, who played his final 25 minutes for Real Madrid. While transitioning away from a generational great who is just two months shy of his 40th birthday is a justifiable decision, even if he retains ability and desire, the Croatian midfielder could offer nothing to a match already effectively lost at 3-0. This game marked not only the conclusion of an era for Modric, notably the only player to break the 13-year duopoly of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo for the Ballon d`Or, but also signaled a broader turning point for Madrid itself, indicating the imperative for a new project to take shape.
With a new manager at the helm, the timing for a squad refresh seems opportune, despite the prior expectation that Kylian Mbappe`s arrival represented a team at the peak of its powers. A significant question remains regarding how much necessary restructuring can realistically be accomplished before their first La Liga match on August 19, especially considering Alonso`s valid point that a break is necessary for players who have competed almost non-stop for 11 months. While a full-scale rebuild might seem uncharacteristic for Europe`s most successful club, 13 months having passed since their last trophy leaves them with no alternative but to embrace this process, whether they prefer it or not.
