A Madrid in Crisis and Under Immense Pressure

There is no sense of calm at Real Madrid. Xabi Alonso’s recent results have triggered every alarm inside the club, creating a pressure that can be felt in every training session, press conference, and tactical decision. The team arrives shaken, questioned, and surrounded by rumors: from a possible premature dismissal of the coach to internal whispers pointing at players unhappy with the direction of the project.

To make matters worse, the season’s biggest challenge arrives this Wednesday: a clash with Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League, a test that could define not only Madrid’s future in the tournament but also Xabi Alonso’s own fate. A defeat could unleash an institutional earthquake many have seen coming for weeks.

Mbappé Alarm Before Facing City

As if the scenario weren’t already complicated enough, the club received another unexpected blow on Tuesday: Kylian Mbappé, the team’s most decisive player in 2025, did not train with the group at Valdebebas.

The French star is dealing with a fractured finger —an injury suffered against Celta— and now faces new physical discomfort that makes him a serious doubt for the showdown against City. According to club sources, if he does play, he will do so physically limited, an unthinkable situation for a player who carries much of the team’s offensive weight.

A Weakened Team Full of Absences

The list of unavailable players for the clash with Guardiola’s side is alarming: Trent, Carvajal, Militao, Mendy, Alaba, Camavinga, and Huijsen are all ruled out. And to that scenario, Mbappé might be added, which would leave Madrid without half its defense and without its offensive leader.

With a pressured locker room, a questioned coach, and a rival that punishes every mistake, Wednesday’s match shapes up to be one of the most critical of the club’s recent era. The question is inevitable:
Can Real Madrid stay standing without their star and in the middle of a crisis that only keeps growing?