Real Madrid’s winning streak ended in brutal fashion, and the defeat to Atletico Madrid was the clearest sign yet that Xabi Alonso’s side cannot survive on individual brilliance alone.
For weeks, Real Madrid had looked untouchable, until they met Atletico Madrid. Xabi Alonso’s first months in charge saw the club dominate La Liga with a mix of precision football and sheer star power. They arrived at the Metropolitano on Saturday evening as unbeaten leaders, carrying a perfect start to the season and the aura of inevitable winners.
Yet by the end of 90 minutes, that aura lay shattered. Atletico Madrid had humbled their city rivals 5-2, delivering a result that was as shocking in its margin as it was instructive in meaning.
The build-up: Xabi Alonso’s dream start
Real Madrid’s campaign under Alonso could hardly have opened better. Seven wins on the spin across La Liga and UEFA Champions League fixtures had elevated them to early-season favourites for silverware. They had scored freely and conceded sparingly.
Real Madrid’s opening few fixtures, though, also carried a caveat: many were won through moments of individual creativity. Kylian Mbappe’s ruthless finishing, Vinicius Junior’s bursts of pace, or Arda Guler’s vision had made the difference when collective attacking patterns still looked under construction.
Against struggling opponents, such reliance was manageable. Against Atletico Madrid, a side moulded by Diego Simeone to capitalise on small cracks, it proved disastrous.
What went wrong for Real Madrid against Atletico Madrid?
Atletico Madrid struck first, as Robin Le Normand pounced inside 15 minutes, exploiting Real Madrid’s slightly disorganised defensive line. Though Xabi Alonso’s men responded with two goals in quick succession to take a 2-1 lead, evidence again of their ability to conjure magic from individual inspiration, the pattern of the game slowly tilted away from them.
By half-time, the scoreline was level again. After the break, Los Blancos’ vulnerabilities were ruthlessly exposed. Atletico Madrid were efficient where Madrid were wasteful, structured where Real Madrid were chaotic.
At full-time, the scoreboard read 5-2 to the Colchoneros, a humbling statistic considering the visitors had dominated possession with close to 65 per cent of the ball. Xabi Alonso’s side played the match largely in Atletico Madrid’s half, yet found themselves punished repeatedly when transitions unfolded at speed.
The question of substitutions
Xabi Alonso’s in-game decisions are bound to attract scrutiny. The removal of Dani Carvajal, Real Madrid’s most experienced defender on the night, left their backline exposed to Atletico Madrid’s waves of counter-attacks.
Meanwhile, taking off Arda Guler robbed the Merengues of perhaps the only player trying to stitch together attacks through the middle. Without his creativity, the build-up became one-dimensional, dependent on direct runs from Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior that met their end against Atletico’s disciplined low block.
For a coach still finding his way at the club, such lessons may prove invaluable. The derby was perhaps the first night Alonso’s tactical plans were actively outwitted rather than merely tested.
Warning signs hidden beneath the winning streak
The scoreline was heavy, but the warning had always been there. Real Madrid’s string of wins, while impressive on paper, often leaned on individual brilliance rather than collective effort.
Individual brilliance can carry a team only so far. In longer campaigns and sharper contests like derbies or UEFA Champions League ties, systematic flaws eventually come to the fore.
The loss to Atletico Madrid exposed exactly that: Real Madrid are still far from a cohesive attacking machine. They monopolised possession but turned sterile when faced with a backline refusing to be pulled out of shape.
What Real Madrid must fix after the Atletico Madrid defeat
The lesson is simple yet urgent. If Real Madrid wish to transform their blistering start into a lasting challenge for trophies, they must:
Diversify attacking play: Instead of waiting for a Kylian Mbappe run or Vinicius Junior dribble, Real Madrid’s midfield must circulate the ball faster to disrupt compact defences.
Improve balance in substitutions: Xabi Alonso’s decisions to remove creativity and leadership at key moments left gaps that Atletico Madrid ruthlessly exploited.
Defensive vigilance: Atletico Madrid’s counters cut through Real Madrid too easily, underlining the need for a more organised pressing structure once possession is lost.
Alonso’s challenge ahead
For all the disappointment of the derby defeat to Atletico Madrid, this defeat does not erase Real Madrid’s bright start. They still sit near the summit of La Liga and have the firepower to score against any opponent. The talent remains staggering; few sides in Europe can call upon the combined individual arsenals of Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo Goes, and Arda Guler.
But talent alone is rarely enough. Alonso, so far praised for bringing freshness and calm to Real Madrid’s footballing outlook, now faces the harder phase: integrating brilliance into a team design robust enough to withstand pressure nights. The derby served as harsh proof of what happens when moments of magic dry up.
For Madridistas, the hope will be that the club’s young manager treats this as an early reality check rather than a fatal flaw. For Atletico Madrid, the win over Real Madrid was validation of Diego Simeone’s enduring blueprint: compact, ruthless, delighting in puncturing Madrid’s invincibility.
A setback worth learning from
In the long run, this result against Atletico Madrid may be less about Real Madrid’s season taking a downturn and more about them realising the dangers ahead. No streak of wins can hide structural faults forever. Los Rojiblancos merely revealed them in merciless fashion.
For Xabi Alonso’s Real Madrid, the path forward will demand more than possession counts and highlight-reel goals. It will demand a collective identity in attack, a more measured balance in defence, and a willingness to turn individual brilliance into team reliability. A painful derby defeat, yes. But also the exact kind of wake-up call champions sometimes need.
