After seven matchdays of La Liga, Real Madrid suffered a defeat to rivals Atlético Madrid and have slipped to fourth place. They trail league leaders Barcelona by six points. Mundo Deportivo previously published an article analyzing Real Madrid and Barcelona's current competitive situation from multiple angles, including tactics, squad composition, and transfers.

After seven matchdays, Real Madrid already trails Barcelona by six points in the league. Flick's league-leading Barcelona and Mourinho-led Real Madrid display a significant performance gap on the pitch. Barcelona has earned worldwide praise for their superior competitiveness and decisive victories, while Real Madrid faces harsh criticism. Despite renewed massive investment, their performance lacks conviction, with supporters themselves voicing discontent first.

Setting aside Real Madrid's unfounded claims of referee errors to distract from their problems, what truly ails them is Rodri. Since Kroos retired in summer 2024 and Modrić will end his final season with limited appearances in 2025 before joining AC Milan, Real Madrid has lacked a true midfield conductor for two consecutive years. Nearly all Real Madrid fans believe they should have signed the former Manchester City player last summer.

Initially, fans were concerned because Laporta, Florentino's rival candidate, had promised to sign Rodri. However, Florentino, ultimately reelected as president, agreed to attempt Rodri's acquisition. Mourinho also tried to persuade him with his tactical plans, but after Barcelona intervened, Rodri ultimately chose to join Barcelona. As the player recently stated in an interview with Mundo Deportivo, he subsequently called Real Madrid's manager to thank them for their interest and approach, while informing them of his decision to choose Barcelona.

After missing out on Rodri, Real Madrid pinned all their hopes on Brahim Díaz without exploring alternatives. He is not a deep-lying playmaker. Neither is Güler. Both are attacking midfielders rather than conductors. Real Madrid has played four away matches: they lost to Real Betis and Atlético Madrid, and won against Espanyol and Elche with last-minute goals. Both goals were scored by Vinícius.

After declining to join Real Madrid, Rodri quickly shone in Barcelona's shirt. The Madrid-born midfielder, who had already met nearly half of Barcelona's squad through the national team, quickly found his place in the team and became a tempo-setter alongside Pedri. In the latter stages of last season, Flick had asked the club to add experienced players across all lines, and Rodri's arrival was precisely a gift from heaven.

In just six matches, the Madrid-born player has become the leader controlling the team's tempo. He assists center-backs with their distribution, finds solutions in midfield under opposition pressure, drops deeper to help in defense, and as seen last weekend against Villarreal, can prevent almost certain defensive errors on Barcelona's goal line.

In Madrid, Real Madrid fans resent the club's failure to persuade Rodri to join, while in Barcelona, he has already become an idol to Barcelona's supporters, and this transfer is viewed as a double blessing.

AI翻訳。

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