Real Madrid’s season is teetering, and now they face Atléti
At the Santiago Bernabéu on Feb. 19, the mood was euphoric. Real Madrid had emphatically beaten Manchester City 3-1 to go through to the last 16 of the Champions League. After a difficult start in the competition — losing to Lille, AC Milan and Liverpool, and missing out on the top eight — anything now seemed possible. The winners of two of the past three editions, and a record 15 throughout their history, were instantly re-installed among the favourites to lift the trophy in 2025.
Key to that turnaround was the definitive “arrival” — six months after signing — of Kylian Mbappé. His hat trick against City was the highlight of Madrid’s season so far, shaking off an unconvincing start which led some critics to ask whether his signing had made the team worse. This was his answer. Now Mbappé was talking about “making history” at Madrid, and journalists were asking if he could match the impact of all-time top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo at the club.
Many of the doubts circling Madrid earlier in the season looked to have been answered. Against City, they had coped without long-term defensive absentees Dani Carvajal and Éder Militão, and hadn’t regretted failing to recruit a successor for Toni Kroos in midfield. Federico Valverde had filled in seamlessly at right-back. Dani Ceballos was in career-best form in the middle of the pitch.
But Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Real Betis in LaLiga — one which saw Barcelona and Atlético Madrid climb above Real in the title race — saw those doubts resurface. Despite the City win, Madrid’s domestic form has been poor, with one league win in five games. Ceballos is injured, and Valverde isn’t fully fit. Now, Real face the most awkward opponents possible: local rivals Atlético in Tuesday’s Champions League round-of-16 first leg. It’s a game where Real Madrid will have to prove themselves, all over again.
Madrid were already a player short at the back after they didn’t replace Nacho Fernandez last summer. Then Carvajal (in October) and Militão (in November) both suffered ACL tears. David Alaba has only just recovered from the same injury. But in the win over City, two players did enough to make those worries disappear: Valverde, and Raúl Asencio.
Asencio, 22, only made his debut in November. It’s not just that he wasn’t in coach Carlo Ancelotti’s first-team plans this season. He wasn’t even the most highly-rated young defender at the club. That’s Joan Martinez, 17, whose progress has also been halted by a long-term injury. Asencio stepped in and has excelled.
“Raul has been a surprise to everyone, me included,” Ancelotti said last month. Against City, he was outstanding, providing the assist for Mbappé’s opening goal, and not once looking overawed.
At right-back, Valverde made sure that Carvajal wasn’t missed in the slightest. The Uruguayan — more often found in central midfield — easily dealt with City’s Savinho and Omar Marmoush. If you didn’t know, you’d never have guessed he wasn’t a natural defender. Ancelotti has jokingly called Valverde “the third-best right-back in the world” when he’s had to fill in for Carvajal or Lucas Vázquez. But now it’s clear: he’s a significant upgrade on the latter. The only issue is a nagging injury, which saw Valverde miss Madrid’s last two games. It’s not an exaggeration to suggest the Atlético tie’s outcome depends, in part, on his fitness.
Julien Laurens looks forward to a huge set of fixtures in the Champions League round-of-16 draw.
The emergence of Asencio apart, the importance of Dani Ceballos to Real Madrid’s season has been the most significant — and surprising — factor in the team levelling up. Kroos’ retirement left a vacancy for a deep lying, ballplaying midfielder alongside Valverde or Aurélien Tchouaméni. Ceballos, 28, fits the bill.
Previously inhibited by frequent injuries and inconsistent performance, he has seized what might have been his last chance to make a case for his Real Madrid future.
Dan Thomas is joined by Craig Burley, Shaka Hislop and others to bring you the latest highlights and debate the biggest storylines. Stream on ESPN+ (U.S. only).
Ceballos is always busy, always on the ball, with the highest percentage of completed passes — 94.5% — in LaLiga this season. He started 16 games in all competitions between November and February. Then he suffered a hamstring injury in Madrid’s 1-0 Copa del Rey win at Real Sociedad last week. A two-month absence is expected.
“I’m very sad to have to stop in what I felt was my best moment,” Ceballos said.
He’ll be missed against Atlético, and so will Jude Bellingham, suspended after picking up his third yellow card in the Champions League this season. Ancelotti will have to choose between Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga and Luka Modric to make up his midfield pair, with Brahim Díaz — who scored in the first leg against City — expected to replace Bellingham.
A team that boasts Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior and Rodrygo — plus Bellingham, when available — needn’t worry too much about goal-scoring. Even in a misfiring league phase, Madrid still scored 20 times in eight games, followed by six playoff goals against City.
Mbappé’s hat trick at the Bernabéu buried any remnant of an “Mbappé debate” and made it 28 goals in 40 appearances for Madrid this season. Ancelotti admitted that the forward “wasn’t at his best” against Betis on Saturday — he played 75 minutes until being replaced by Endrick with Madrid chasing an equalizer, after having a tooth removed last week — but overall, his form has steadily improved in 2024-25.
Vinícius hasn’t always been so consistent, but he has delivered in Europe, with seven goals in eight Champions League games this season. His performance at the Etihad made City fans regret the “Stop Crying Your Heart Out” Ballon d’Or banner — in support of Rodri — which they displayed pre-match.
“Okay okay okay!!!” Vinicius tweeted after the second leg. In the Champions League, nobody doubts The Best winner’s ability to be a difference-maker. And alongside him, Rodrygo has made himself near-undroppable in these fixtures, starting both legs against City.
Ahead of this season, much of the discussion around Madrid centred on whether Ancelotti could fit his “fantastic four” of Mbappé, Vinicius, Bellingham and Rodrygo into the same starting XI, especially in the toughest games. The two matches with City — albeit a diminished version of a once great team — suggested that the answer was an unequivocal yes.
Ancelotti has found a 4-4-2 shape — with Bellingham and Rodrygo dropping into midfield when out of possession, leaving Mbappé and Vinicius as a front two — which gives the defence enough protection. The proviso: that the forward players continue to work as hard as they have in recent weeks. That didn’t happen as Madrid slumped to a 2-1 defeat at Betis on Saturday, after taking an early lead.
“If we play like this, we won’t win on Tuesday,” Ancelotti admitted. “I hope this will wake us up. Lately we’d been more organized and more compact, and today we weren’t able to do that.”
Against Diego Simeone’s battle-hardened Atlético Madrid, there’ll be no room for complacency. Atlético are a team — mirroring their coach — defined by their attitude. In a hard-fought 1-0 win over Athletic Club on Saturday which saw Atlético move above Real in the LaLiga table, the biggest cheer from the Metropolitano crowd came for two late, crunching tackles from midfielder Conor Gallagher. Simeone celebrated as if Gallagher had scored a last-minute winner. If Real are to progress to the quarterfinals, they’ll have to match that intensity.
Beth Lindop debates how early Liverpool can win the Premier League title. (1:32)
If Liverpool become Premier League champions this season, there will be no shortage of people to thank.
Head coach Arne Slot will warrant plenty of credit for the sensational job he has done since arriving from Feyenoord in the summer. Forward Mohamed Salah — who has already registered 25 goals and 17 assists in the league this term — will be rightly commended for a stellar individual campaign amid the backdrop of contract negotiations that have cast doubt over his long-term future at the club. Even Slot’s predecessor, Jürgen Klopp, will merit praise for his efforts to leave behind a squad capable of flourishing in his absence.
But those behind the scenes, too — chiefly those in the medical department — will also deserve a large share of the acclaim.
Liverpool have now emerged from their most intense spell of the season so far, with the visit of Newcastle United to Anfield this past Wednesday marking the club’s fifth game in the space of 15 days. Yet in terms of first-team absentees, only defenders Conor Bradley and Joe Gomez, plus midfielder Tyler Morton, were unavailable to feature against Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe’s side.
Considering the relentlessness of Liverpool’s schedule, their maintenance of such high availability levels is a remarkable feat. Many of Liverpool’s challengers, including second-placed Arsenal, have fared notably worse in the injury stakes. But have Slot’s side just been lucky? Or is there more to Liverpool’s impressive record?
At the end of February 2024, Liverpool were running on empty. Klopp’s side were without nine first-team players — including Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dominik Szoboszlai and Salah — and were forced to rely on academy products to plug the gaps.
Yet it led to one of the most memorable afternoons in the club’s history as Liverpool’s injury-ravaged squad edged big-spending Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final. At the time, Klopp described it as “the most special trophy” of his career, but the knock-on effects of such a severe injury crisis were acute, with Liverpool’s form tailing off dramatically in the final months of the season. Having been touted in some quarters as potential quadruple winners, Liverpool fell away in the title race — ultimately finishing third — as well as crashing out of both the Europa League and FA Cup at the quarter-final stage.
According to the Premier Injuries website, Liverpool lost 21 different players to injury over the course of that campaign. Only Tottenham Hotspur (22) suffered more.
“It would be helpful if we had a bit more than one player for each position,” Klopp said in a news conference in February 2024. “I cannot remember one day that was easy, with no problems at all. As long as we have 11 players, we will go for it.”
Liverpool’s absentees missed a combined 1,383 days this past season; significantly more than champions Manchester City (672) and runners-up Arsenal (898). In the latter stages of the campaign, having such a heavy injury burden visibly took a toll on Klopp’s side, with the likes of Salah and Szoboszlai struggling to recapture the form that had underpinned the early months of Liverpool’s season.
“The injury landscape can change within the blink of an eye,” Ben Dinnery, founder of Premier Injuries, told ESPN. “If there was just one magic bullet that fixed everything, then all teams would be doing that. But once you’re picking up injuries, it almost becomes a vicious circle when you’re forced to play players who aren’t 100%. It only takes a couple of injuries to see that cascading effect.”
That was in full force at Anfield this past season as, not for the first time under Klopp, injuries played a huge part in derailing what was shaping up to be a promising campaign.
When Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes began the unenviable task of searching for Klopp’s successor, Slot’s hugely impressive injury record was one of the factors that set him apart from the rest. Across his three seasons in Rotterdam, Feyenoord’s player availability levels were above 90%, with the Dutchman having introduced a number of innovations at the club to try and keep his squad in good shape.
“When Slot came in, the team weren’t used to playing three matches a week, so in preseason he arranged a lot of friendly games for the players,” said Sinclair Bishop, who covers Feyenoord extensively for ESPN Netherlands.
“Some people said it would be dangerous because it put players at risk of injury, but Slot said the games would help create a lot of energy and prepare the team for the intensity of the season, playing in Europe and the Dutch Cup as well as the Eredivisie. The squad was managed very well, and, over three seasons, they had very few injuries.
Dan Thomas is joined by Craig Burley, Shaka Hislop and others to bring you the latest highlights and debate the biggest storylines. Stream on ESPN+ (U.S. only).
“This season, now Slot and his [backroom] team have gone, there are a lot of injuries because the philosophy is very different. Feyenoord didn’t play a lot of games in preseason and, when they did play, the team would often be changed around so players didn’t get used to playing every three days.
“Under Slot, Feyenoord were one of the fittest teams in the Netherlands and they scored a lot of goals late on in games because they were in such good shape. This season, if you compare it, they do not have the same energy to close a game out in the same way.”
Another of Slot’s most potent weapons at Feyenoord was his head of performance, Ruben Peeters. The Belgian, who holds a master’s degree in sports sciences from KU Leuven, enjoyed a six-year spell at KRC Genk before joining Feyenoord in 2021.
With Andreas Kornmayer — Liverpool’s long-time head of fitness and conditioning — having left Anfield this past summer, Slot wasted little time in installing Peeters as the club’s lead physical performance coach. A variety of new measures have been put in place at the AXA Training Centre to ensure players are kept in top condition.
A huge emphasis is placed on the “body wake-up” process, which involves early-morning yoga and hydrotherapy sessions. Players are now required to spend more time at the training centre, arriving early to eat breakfast together and spending more time in the gym following tailored individual programmes.
Slot also allows his players to stay at home the night before a home match, rather than sleeping in a hotel as they did under Klopp.
“People that have more knowledge about this than me tell me that you always sleep better in your own bed than a hotel bed,” Slot said in a news conference this past February. “And sleep is a very important part of getting the best possible performance. It’s nice for them to be at home with their families but also, in the opinion of the people that tell me these things, they are better prepared for our games.”
While only a small tweak, it seems to be having the desired effect, and it is that attention to detail that helped define Slot’s tenure in Rotterdam.
“Before Slot came in at Feyenoord, a lot of people in the Netherlands said that Feyenoord was a very big club, but they don’t work in a professional way,” Bishop said. “That changed when Slot came to Rotterdam. He focused a lot on the small details.
“He introduced the ‘Breakfast Club’ at Feyenoord where, every day, players and staff and even the Feyenoord media would come to the training ground early and complete lots of different challenges related to health and that sort of thing, but it was all done in a fun way.
“It helped with the players’ fitness, and it was something that everyone enjoyed, because players would be challenging each other in the gym or outside doing running. This season, that’s not totally gone but they don’t do it every day like they did under Slot. Quite often after training, players would like to go straight home. Under Slot, they enjoyed staying behind to carry on working on themselves.”
Slot and his staff have worked to create a similar culture at Liverpool and, so far, their approach has paid dividends on the pitch, with his team 13 points clear at the top of the Premier League table.
Steve Nicol breaks down Liverpool’s performance in a drama-free win over Newcastle.
Of the 24 players to have featured for Liverpool in the Premier League this season, 11 have suffered an injury that have ruled them out of at least one league match. Those absences combine to equal a total of 68 league games missed this term.
Compare that to Arsenal, who have also used 24 players in the top flight this season, and the contrast is stark, with 18 separate players combining to miss a total of 125 league games. Manchester City, meanwhile, have used 27 players, with 14 players combining to miss 112 league games.
Liverpool have also succeeded in keeping their most important players fit, with Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Ryan Gravenberch among those to have featured in every Premier League match this season — though goalkeeper Alisson and striker Diogo Jota have both been sidelined for significant spells.
“Ultimately, you want to be keeping those high-profile players fit and available,” Dinnery says. “Then when you do have injuries, you want those players who are on the fringes to come in and seamlessly transition into the team.
“I think Salah is one of those guys, alongside the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, who is almost a freak of nature in terms of availability and the ability to maintain those performance levels. Some players actually perform really well with that high load. For somebody like Salah to perform continually like he does, requires not only those post-match recovery protocols, it’s a whole lifetime in the making to optimise his body and ensure he is always ready for the next game.”
It is not just Salah, though, who deserves praise for his personal commitment to staying in pristine condition. Over the course of the season, Slot has credited several players with taking responsibility for their own fitness and diligently following their individual programmes.
“The only thing I know is that from the moment that I stepped in, these players put a lot of effort in themselves to stay fit,” the Liverpool boss said back in October. “I said it many times, our performance staff and medical staff is one of the best in the world — which is normal if you are in Liverpool because it’s one of the best clubs in the world, they should have a very good performance and medical staff, and that’s also what we have.
“But the main thing is that the players buy into it, because they have to do the work and they have to recover, they have to go into ice baths and all these things we are asking from them to be prepared in the best possible way. In the end, it’s always about the players. They have to make the effort to stay available.”
Those sentiments were echoed by the 33-year-old Van Dijk, who has played the most minutes of any player in the Premier League this term.
“At the end of the day a lot of it is your own responsibility because we have the tools in order to prepare for games, recover, but it is what you do with your free time,” he said when asked by ESPN about Liverpool’s remarkable fitness.
“What do you do at home to be ready for the next game in the next couple of days? Definitely, that is credit to the players, everyone connected to Liverpool who is helping us to be our best, but I’d rather have credit at the end of the season when there is something to celebrate. At the moment, it is just tunnel vision and get on with it and win games, and that is what we try to do.”
Heading into the final stretch of the season, Liverpool find themselves in an extraordinary position. And, if Slot’s side manage to bring more silverware to Anfield in the coming months, the squad’s impressive injury record should be regarded as one of their greatest successes.
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Real Madrid host city rivals Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie at the Bernabeu today.
It is the third meeting of the two teams — who are separated by just two points in La Liga — this season with both league fixtures finishing 1-1.
Real Madrid line-up: Courtois; Valverde, Asencio, Rudiger, Mendy; Tchouameni, Camavinga; Rodrygo, Brahim, Vinicius Jr; Mbappe.
Atletico Madrid line-up: Oblak; Llorente, Gimenez, Lenglet, Galan; Simeone, De Paul, Barrios, Lino; Griezmann, Alvarez.
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Moreover, Real Madrid have only lost once in their last 17 Champions League knockout matches (11 wins, five draws), and are unbeaten in nine (five wins, four draws) since that 4-0 defeat away to Manchester City in the 2022-23 semi-final.
El Rey de Europa está en casa @TheAthleticFC
Starting XI: Oblak; Llorente, Gimenez, Lenglet, Galan; Simeone, De Paul, Barrios, Lino; Griezmann, Alvarez.
HT Club Brugge 1-1 Aston Villa (De Cuyper; Bailey)
Starting XI: Courtois; Valverde, Asencio, Rudiger, Mendy; Tchouameni, Camavinga; Rodrygo, Brahim, Vinicius Jr; Mbappe.
At least until the former poached promising youngster Jesus Fortea from the latter, leading to a serious rift between the sides.
Atletico Madrid 1-0 Athletic Club (Alvarez 66′)
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Atletico Madrid midfielder Rodrigo de Paul appears to be largely ignoring the noise surrounding the Madrid derby this evening, claiming that they are focused on the game itself rather than anything that might come with it. He also explained that for now at least, he is in the right place to be playing his football.
De Paul explained that the team was feeling good and looking forward to the occasion. He followed his manager’s lead though, noting that for him, the next game is always the most important match regardless of the opponent.
“The analysis is that we are facing Madrid at the Bernabeu. They are the European champions and we are both going to compete. When the match starts, there is no other option than to do what is best for your team.”
The Argentine midfielder went on to say that Atletico had been preparing well for games, and were not paying any attention to the pressure of that occasion. On a personal level, many believe that de Paul is having his best year at the Metropolitano, and he was asked what had changed.
“I always felt important. All roles have a weight, that is why our strength is the group, no role is more valuable than another. I take on what I have to do and I love being challenged. I can give much more and the only way to achieve that is by working.”
The exhaustion that comes with the game might be mental, but that has little to do with the media attention on the fixture.
“Wear and tear has nothing to do with what is said externally, but with the fact that we are going to face a great rival, and these are games that we love to play but that are exhausting.”
In terms of his own future, de Paul explained he was perfectly happy where he was.
“I always believe that the best level is yet to come. I am at a club that I love, with values that I share, with a harmonious and hard-working atmosphere and a clear message that we agree on. I’m enjoying the moment and I don’t think beyond that.”
Rumours about Atletico potentially looking to cash in on de Paul have surfaced in recent summers, but since his improvement in consistency, those have been few and far between. There are likely contract discussions on the horizon for de Paul though, who is into the final 18 months of his deal, and turns 31 before the end of the season.
