Real Madrid face a battle to avoid their 2025/26 season fizzling out in the final weeks of the campaign.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side were dumped out of the UEFA Champions League by a rampant Arsenal and they lost out 3-2 to El Clasico rivals Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final on April 26.
A potential La Liga title challenge is Ancelotti’s sole route to a trophy in May as the Italian coach prepares to leave Madrid this summer and take up the Brazil national team job.
Real Madrid are currently trailing Barcelona by four points at the top of the La Liga rankings with both sides facing five more games – including a meeting in Catalonia on May 11.
There is a real sense Real Madrid’s season is drifting to a conclusion despite being in the running for three major trophies less than a month ago.
Midfield star Fede Valverde has offered up an insight over why they are struggling at the crunch point in the campaign in clear jibe at the packed fixture schedule.
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What did Fede Valverde say on Real Madrid’s Copa del Rey final defeat?
Valverde delivered a typically lung-busting performance as Real Madrid came up short in extra time in the final in Sevilla.
The 26-year-old covered at right-back and in midfield across a 120-minute marathon in Andalucia and he admitted the game load is taking its toll on Ancelotti’s players.
Ancelotti has frequently criticised the fixture schedule this season, with Real Madrid also travelling to Qatar for the FIFA Intercontinental Cup in December and to Saudi Arabia for the Spanish Super Cup in January.
“It happened again [a defeat]. And it will surely happen many more times, because on this path, it’s normal for one to fall after so many miles,” he posted on social media.
🤍 Fede Valverde’s message to Real Madrid fans.
“It happened again. And it will surely happen again many more times, because it is the road we are building and it is normal that one falls after so many miles.
It makes me sad, it makes me angry, impotent. I feel like I failed… pic.twitter.com/9OHRUdl1oF
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) April 27, 2025
“It saddens me, it makes me angry, it makes me feel helpless. I feel like I’m letting them down.
“It’s been a complicated year, physically and mentally very tough, but I’m always very clear: ‘Until my legs give out.’ This club deserves nothing less.
“We’ll come back and I’ll be there giving everything out of respect for Real Madrid and the fans, and everything that comes with playing for the most successful club in history.”
Real Madrid have played 33 La Liga games already this season and six matches on route to the Copa del Rey final.
However, there has been a long list of extra fixtures, stretching back to the start of the campaign.
Real Madrid’s season started a week earlier than their domestic rivals, via their UEFA Super Cup win over Atalanta in August.
There was also significant travel to the Middle East, with two games in Qatar and Saudi Arabia, alongside the expanded UCL.
Two extra league phase games were added on for Ancleotti, and after finishing in the bottom half of the league phase rankings, they needed a two-legged playoff win against Manchester City to reach the Round of 16.
However, the main point of contention from Ancelotti is the newly-formatted FIFA Club World Cup this summer, which kicks off for Real Madrid on June 18 – just 24 days after the end of the La Liga season – and a run to the final will take up a month of their summer schedule.
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