The white club has been looted in its own stadium several times this season

The Santiago Bernabéu Stadium has enjoyed great respect and an impressive mystique since it was inaugurated in 1947. The rich history of Real Madrid is due, in large part, to the magnitude and difficulty of the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. However, many rivals have visited the white stadium this season and have managed to get several crucial points, causing Real Madrid elimination in the Copa del Rey, the loss of the League and being about to be eliminated in the UEFA Champions League.

Leer en español: ¿Por qué el Real Madrid no respetó el Santiago Bernabéu?

The League can be lost at home

Real Madrid started the 2017-2018 League with the aim of ratifying the title obtained the previous season, but that purpose would begin to spoil it from early competition dates and at home. The team led by Zinedine Zidane, French legend, did not find a game system that would enforce its location, and many teams, using tactics such as counterattack, were able to score at the Santiago Bernabéu.

The team succumbed on several occasions, because to date number 33 it had fallen defeated at the Santiago Bernabéu against Betis, Barcelona, and Villarreal, and it could not pass the draw against Valencia, Levante, Atlético de Madrid, and the Athletic Club.

If Real Madrid had made respect the Santiago Bernabéu, as has been usual throughout its history, the club would have 17 more points in the leaderboard, and it would go from the third to the first position of the League. The white club has lost the league at home.

What happened in Copa del Rey?

Real Madrid began its journey in the Copa del Rey in the last round of 32, which took place in November 2017, playing against CF Fuenlabrada of the Second Division B of Spain, that is, the third hierarchical division of Spanish football. As visitor, Real Madrid won by two goals to zero, but in the game played at the Santiago Bernabéu, it tied to two goals. The white club qualified, but it was about to make a fool of itself.

In the round of 16, played in January 2018, the rival of the club 'merengue' was the CD Numancia of the Second Division of Spain. As in the previous phase, Real Madrid won as visitory, but in the Santiago Bernabéu it tied again with two goals. The white squad had already suffered unexpected blows by rivals never imagined.

However, the biggest blow in the Copa del Rey took place in the quarterfinals of the competition, played equally in January but against CD Leganés of the First Division of Spain. As in the previous two phases, Real Madrid won as visitor, and as a local player it obtained a negative result, with the difference that this time it was a defeat. The Leganés sacked definitively the Santiago Bernabéu when obtaining a victory by two goals to one, which eliminated Real Madrid and stirred the foundations of the club.

Champions League: only the hierarchy keeps the team in the competition

Without a doubt, the UEFA Champions League is the favorite competition of Real Madrid, but this competition is not the escape of the evil present the white club is experiencing. In the current season, Real Madrid had problems at the Santiago Bernabéu from the group stage, because it won against Borussia Dortmund and barely managed to draw a goal against Tottenham Hotspur, thus losing the first position of its respective group.

It was not until the quarterfinals that Real Madrid again showed its shortcomings. The club had come from a historic victory by three goals to zero against Juventus in Italy, but the ghosts of the Santiago Bernabéu appeared again. Real Madrid, against all odds, let the series tie with three goals, and only a penalty goal in the 98th minute saved Real Madrid from ridicule at home and in its favorite competition. While Real Madrid spent the round, what remained in of millions of people’s mind was the bulky defeat.

Real Madrid have two home games remaining in the Spanish League, which at this point is a minor competition for the squad. Therefore, the crucial match that the white club will have at the Santiago Bernabéu is the one that will play against Bayern Munich on May 1 for the UEFA Champions League semifinal. For Real Madrid, it will be a great opportunity to make its home respected, to recover the magic of the Santiago Bernabéu, and to continue advancing in the most important club competition in the old continent.

LatinAmerican Post | Javier Aldana
Translated from “ El Real Madrid debería haber hecho respetar el Santiago Bernabéu”