Analysis: As Real Madrid career towards premature end to season, what’s left at the end of it?

Los Blancos still have dazzling individuals, and by channeling the spirit of past European comebacks, they took the lead three times. Arda Guler looked destined to be a saviour, scoring twice in the first half. The Turkish midfielder’s night ended in disgrace, shown red for harassment of the referee. He was not alone. Forming a pack, the Galacticos barked their collective grievances – some quite aggressively – at the disinterested Vincic. Spain’s royal club could have at least gone out with some decorum, but chose indignity in defeat.

Then there were the few who still acted in a kingly manner. Kylian Mbappe did not chase the officials, only lingering to offer a congratulatory handshake to Bayern’s players and applaud the travelling fans. But as he solemnly paced the grass, the French superstar surely would have reflected on the cruel irony of his Real Madrid career so far. Two seasons of individual brilliance, but no major trophies, while his former side Paris Saint-Germain – the defending European champions – face Bayern in the semi-finals. Continuous defeat was not what the boy from Bondy envisioned for himself when he lay in his bedroom, walls covered in Cristiano Ronaldo posters.

But if he were to compare himself now to his Portuguese idol, he would feel hope, not despair. It took Ronaldo five seasons to lift his first European Cup for Real Madrid, and he went on to win three more.

When Barca mathematically seal the league title, it will mark the first time in 16 years that Madrid have endured two consecutive seasons without winning La Liga, the Copa del Rey or the Champions League. Sometimes in a disastrous campaign, there are players who thrive instead of shrink, as has been the case with Fede Valverde. The Uruguayan midfielder plays with an indomitable spirit, showing with every performance why he wears the armband. The skinny kid from Penarol, who joined Castilla in 2016, has transformed himself into the exemplary Real Madrid player. For Endrick Felipe and Franco Mastantuono – South American talents whose careers have stalled in the Spanish capital – there is no greater inspiration than the Uruguayan’s rise.

The breakthrough of academy talents gives fans a little light during times of darkness. Striker Gonzalo Garcia was the sensation of the Club World Cup and showed signs during the season that he could recapture that level. Thiago Pitarch greatly impressed against Manchester City, but in Munich, the midfielder only got the last three minutes, while Garcia was left on the bench. Club legends Raul Gonzalez and Iker Casillas progressed from the academy to lead the Galacticos over decades, but maybe that idea of Real Madrid is lost to a romantic past.

And of course, there are the two men who it is too late to blame it all on now, nor would it be fair. Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa might have always seemed disposable in the eyes of President Florentino Perez, with their youth and even nationality not helping their case: 2003 was the last time a Spanish manager lifted a trophy for Los Blancos, Vicente del Bosque hoisting La Liga.

It was irrelevant that Alonso was halfway into his first season and still had them fighting for three major trophies. Nor did it matter that his side only narrowly lost to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup. He made the egregious mistake of losing a final to the hated Catalans, and that was the final straw. Perez’s callousness is universally known, as evidenced by the fact that Alonso’s cachet seems to have suffered only minor damage after his sacking.

As for Arbeloa, he will likely be demoted back to Castilla, portrayed as the interim that failed to turn things around. Few will remember him as the man that reeled in the egos, got players onside, and produced a fantastic run in March, only for everything to collapse in the last four games. The affable coach clearly took the job out of genuine love for the club, knowing that he could be thrown to a hungry mob if he failed, or succeed, and still not be rewarded – a club  man who they could hang out to dry.

Andoni Iraola has become available this summer. Evidence suggests that this bright, young Spanish manager would be wise to stay clear of La Casa Blanca. Real Madrid will most likely revert to a ‘wise old dog‘ appointment, with Didier Deschamps and Massimiliano Allegri having both been linked in recent months.

What is left this season? Los Blancos might be expected to form a guard of honour for Barcelona before El Clasico on the 10th of May, something they refused to do after the Super Cup Final. With nothing left to fight for, humility could set in – a virtue this squad might consider learning if they hope to bring glory back to the Bernabeu.