Why is Real Madrid having so many problems with the Bernabéu pitch?
The sorry state of the Bernabéu pitch was in evidence again during Saturday’s game against Celta. Real Madrid will replace the pitch again for the Manchester City game. Each change costs 300,000 euros.
Xavi’s comments about the state of the pitch at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez in Getafe last weekend led to a debate which is still ongoing within Spain#s football community. It wasn’t a huge surprise to hear the Barcelona coach give his thoughts on the importance of maintaining the best possible playing surface - since his playing days, he has always held the opinion that the best football is played on an immaculate, baize-like pitch and quite rightly so.
For years, Real Madrid enjoyed those conditions at the Santiago Bernabéu - in spite of extreme weather and the high number of home games played over the course of a season, Madrid’s pitch was always flawless. But that hasn’t been the case this season. Images taken during the Celta game clearly showed an uneven pitch scattered with loose clumps of turf and areas where the grass has failed to take root. Maintaining the pitch in optimum condition has become as much a concern for the powers that be at the club as planning the squad for next season. With the Champions League semi-final against Manchester City looming, it has become a priority.
Madrid’s extreme climate
For much of this season, the Bernabéu pitch has looked brittle and dry - an unusually mild and dry winter hasn’t helped. The pitch in Chamartín has always been a high maintenance job due to the extreme weather in the capital (cold winters, blistering hot, dry summers) and due to its construction, the five storey stadium doesn’t let a great deal of sunlight in and at times, some areas of the pitch don’t see the sun at all.
For 12 years, looking after the Bernabéu pitch (and resolving all of the problems that go with it) was a daily routine and labour of love for former chief groundsman (Director of Grounds and Environment) Paul Burgess. Burgess successfully carried out this task until he decided to move on to another project in 2021. He is back in London after being appointed Director of Global sports surfaces and Landscaping at Chelsea. José María Fernández Muñoz inherited his old position at Madrid and kept the pitch in tip-top shape throughout the 2021-22 academic year but this season, the playing surface has deteriorated to such an extent that new turf has needed to be laid four times. The turf was sourced locally from Arévalo, in nearby Ávila, and the Monfragüe National Park, in Cáceres. A new pitch will be laid (the fifth time this season) ahead of City’s visit on 9 May.
The ongoing task of maintaining the pitch is expensive - each time the pitch needs to be replaced costs €300,000. Ancelotti takes the issue philosophically: “It’s obvious that the pitch has an effect [on how the players play] - that’s been known for a long time. It needs to be improved. They have changed it periodically and will continue to do so. That’s the idea,” he explained.
A bumpy pitch with loose clumps breaking up isn’t ideal for attacking football. All of three of Madrid’s forwards: Vinicius, Benzema and Asensio have noticed it. Asensio, who opened the scoring against Celta last night, noted how the pitch affected his game and his goal, “It’s really bad, I knew I had to make a good connection and strike the ball downwards”. There were also complaints from Celta players- notably Iago Aspas, who was let down by the pitch during a goal scoring opportunity early in the second half.