After seven matchdays of La Liga, Real Madrid have dropped to fourth place in the standings, having lost to city rivals Atlético Madrid and trailing league leaders Barcelona by six points. Earlier, Mundo Deportivo published an article analyzing the current competitive state of Real Madrid and Barcelona from various perspectives, including tactics, personnel, and transfers.

After seven matchdays, Real Madrid are already six points behind Barcelona in the standings. There is also a huge difference in performance between Barcelona, led by Flick, and Real Madrid under Mourinho. Barcelona have received worldwide praise for their excellent competitive play and several dominant victories; Real Madrid, on the other hand, have faced strong criticism as their play remains unconvincing despite significant recent investment, with their own fans being the first to express dissatisfaction.

Setting aside Real Madrid's attempts to deflect blame by fabricating claims of refereeing errors, what truly concerns Real Madrid is Rodrigo Hernández. Following Kroos's retirement in the summer of 2024 and Modrić's move to Milan in 2025 after a season with limited playing time, Real Madrid have lacked a true midfield conductor for two consecutive years. Real Madrid fans almost unanimously believe the former Manchester City player should have been signed last summer.

Initially, supporters had concerns because Florentino's rival in the presidential election, Riquelme, had used Rodrigo Hernández as a campaign tool. However, Florentino, who ultimately succeeded in re-election as president, still agreed to attempt to sign Rodrigo Hernández. Mourinho also tried to convince him with his tactical plans, but after Barcelona's intervention, Rodrigo Hernández ultimately decided to join Barcelona. As the player stated in a recent interview with Mundo Deportivo, he then called Real Madrid's coach to thank him for the interest and treatment, and to inform him of his decision to choose Barcelona.

However, having failed to sign Rodrigo Hernández, Real Madrid did not seek an alternative but instead pinned all their hopes on Bernardo Silva, who is not a true playmaker. The same applies to Güler; both are attacking midfielders rather than playmakers. Real Madrid played all four away matches, losing two of them—to Betis and Atlético Madrid respectively; the other two were last-minute wins in added time—against Espanyol and Elche, with Endrick scoring both goals.

Having failed to join Real Madrid, Rodrigo Hernández quickly shone in Barcelona's shirt. The Madrid midfielder quickly found a sense of belonging to the team, having become acquainted with nearly half of Barcelona's squad through the national team, becoming the engine of midfield alongside Pedri. At the end of last season, Flick asked the club to add experienced players at each position, and Rodrigo Hernández's arrival was very timely.

In just six matches, the Madrid native has become the leader controlling the team's tempo. He helps the center-backs exit defense, finds solutions for midfield under opponent pressure, and can even drop back to defend, preventing certain goal-scoring chances at Barcelona's goal, as was evident this past weekend at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán stadium.

In Madrid, Real Madrid fans are disappointed that the club failed to convince Rodrigo Hernández to join them; in Barcelona, he has already become a fan favorite, and this signing is viewed as a double blessing.

Переведено ИИ.

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