Real Madrid looks to ‘do a Barcelona’ in 2026

Xabi Alonso’s Real Madrid were sent into the holidays last Saturday to a chorus of boos at the Bernabeu, with much of the frustration directed at Vinicius Jr. Even after beating Sevilla, the performance once again felt disjointed, offering little evidence that the team’s uneven form has improved. Victory did not translate into satisfaction inside Madrid’s iconic stadium.

Before parting ways for the break, Alonso, his staff, and the players shared a few blunt words. The message was clear. Without an honest, collective reset, this season risks drifting toward a disappointing end.

Dressing room reality check

There is unity of purpose inside the locker room. “If we keep playing like this, we’re going nowhere,” was the prevailing sentiment after the win over a Sevilla side that finished the match a man down. Thibaut Courtois, one of the captains, did not sugarcoat the situation.

“We have to improve our play. We know it,” Courtois said. “In moments like this, winning matters. But in 2026 we have to be better. The week off will be good for everyone.”

The numbers say Madrid is still alive

Strip away the emotions and focus on the standings, and Alonso’s Madrid remains alive on every front. All of them. After the Christmas break, LaLiga resumes with a demanding fixture, but it comes at home. Real Madrid hosts Real Betis at the Bernabeu on Monday afternoon.

Inside the club, the math is done with optimism, not with the lingering frustration from narrow wins over Alaves, Talavera, and Sevilla. All three victories came with more questions than answers. Beat Betis, and Madrid would remain four points behind Barcelona, unless Espanyol can take at least a draw from Barça the day before, as one regular voice at Valdebebas put it.

Remembering what Barcelona in 2024-25

Alonso knows exactly what happened a year ago, and the players have taken note before boarding private jets to Dubai, the United States, or Ibiza for the break.

In Matchday 18 last season, the final round before Christmas, Flick’s Barcelona lost at Montjuic to Atletico Madrid on a stoppage-time goal from Alexander Sorloth. That result left Barça eight points behind Carlo Ancelotti’s Madrid. The gap was real. Madrid had 43 points. Barcelona had 35.

The importance of the Spanish Super Cup

Then everything changed. The Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia marked the turning point. Barcelona routed Madrid in the final, the momentum flipped, and the season followed suit. Refereeing debates aside, Flick’s team went on to win both LaLiga and the Copa del Rey. Madrid ended the year without a domestic trophy and was eliminated from the Champions League by Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal.

The takeaway inside Valdebebas is simple. If Barcelona did it then, Madrid believes it can do it now.

This season’s Spanish Super Cup, set to be played in Jeddah, is viewed as the ultimate measuring stick. Winning it would require knocking out Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid first, a lingering thorn for Alonso after the five-goal humiliation at the Metropolitano. The likely final would be against Barcelona, assuming Barca gets past Athletic Club and Nico Williams in the semifinals.

Lifting that trophy could ignite everything else.

Real Madrid’s favorable road into 2026

A Super Cup boost would be followed by a push to finish in the Champions League top eight, with two manageable fixtures on the schedule. Monaco visits the Bernabeu on January 20, followed by a trip to Lisbon on January 28 to face Benfica, coached by Jose Mourinho.

In the Copa del Rey, Madrid is already in the round of 16 and is expected to face a second-division opponent in a single-elimination match, a scenario that could smooth the path to the quarterfinals. LaLiga also offers some help. Three of Madrid’s first four league matches of 2026 are at home, against Betis, Levante, and Rayo Vallecano, with only one road game, a difficult trip to Villarreal.

Taken together, and setting aside the negativity of recent weeks, Alonso’s squad can realistically frame 2026 as a year of redemption and course correction.

If Barcelona pulled it off, anything is possible for the club that owns 15 Champions League titles. Winning remains the best medicine. And historically, even-numbered years have treated Real Madrid just fine.

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