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An already underwhelming season has descended into a full-blown crisis for Real Madrid, with reports emerging of physical altercations at the training ground and deep fractures within the dressing room.
This weekend's Clásico looks set to be a painful occasion for the away side at Camp Nou, with Barcelona requiring just a single point on home soil to secure the title and condemn Madrid to back-to-back silverware-free campaigns.
Madrid head into the match under far from favorable conditions, following explosive reports of a training ground brawl between Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni that resulted in the former requiring hospital treatment.
Adding to the turmoil, Antonio Rüdiger, Álvaro Carreras, Kylian Mbappé and others have all found themselves embroiled in controversy in recent days, painting a picture of a dressing room in complete disarray.
Manager Álvaro Arbeloa was brought in to replace Xabi Alonso in January, tasked with stabilizing the ship following the turbulent brief tenure of the former Leverkusen boss. Yet internal tensions have continued to fester and the rifts within the squad have only grown deeper.
A Locker Room Split in Two
In the wake of the dramatic falling out between Valverde and Tchouaméni, reports indicate that certain Real Madrid players now "barely exchange a word with each other," while six squad members have reportedly cut off communication with Arbeloa entirely.
L'Equipe goes even further, suggesting that only four players in the current squad still offer their support to Arbeloa.
Those four individuals are Jude Bellingham, Fran García, Vinicius Junior and Valverde.
Vinicius Jr was, notably, no admirer of Alonso, while L'Equipe reports that Bellingham was unhappy about having to battle Arda Güler for his spot under the former Leverkusen manager. Valverde, for his part, was reportedly disgruntled at being deployed at right back.
On the opposing side, Mbappé and the French contingent, together with Thibaut Courtois and the summer arrivals, were aligned with Alonso's approach.
The divide between those who stood behind Alonso and those who pushed for his exit has persisted well beyond his mid-season departure, cultivating a poisonous environment at the club that Arbeloa has proven unable to dispel.
Journalist Manolo Lama even alleged that certain Spanish players on the bench have taken to calling Arbeloa "the cone"—a derisive nickname that dates back to his playing career.
What Happens Next for Madrid?
Alonso was said to have described this Madrid squad as "impossible to manage" following his exit in January, and those words are now beginning to sound remarkably prescient.
It has been widely reported that Arbeloa will not continue in the role beyond the end of the current season, with the Madrid hierarchy actively looking to bring in a new head coach.
Names such as Jürgen Klopp, Mauricio Pochettino, Didier Deschamps and José Mourinho have all been mentioned as possible successors to Arbeloa. Whoever takes the job will face a formidable challenge in restoring order to the dressing room and rebuilding the club's culture.
A significant squad overhaul is widely anticipated, with several players including Raúl Asencio, Eduardo Camavinga and Dani Ceballos expected to be made available for transfer, while the likes of David Alaba and Dani Carvajal are set to depart as free agents.
Following Sunday's Clásico, Madrid have three remaining fixtures to complete the domestic season, before a summer of soul-searching and reconstruction can get underway.