The recriminations in Spain and beyond were inevitable long before the final whistle in the Santiago Bernabeu. Florentino Perez had taken an emerging Real Madrid that had everything he needed and ruined it by throwing a superstar-shaped spanner into the works. Arsenal, a carefully drilled unit that in some ways resembled the 2024 European champions at their best, had blown apart an opponent who put you in mind of the worst excesses of the mid 2000s, when Perez was adding fresh coats of paint to the Bentley annually while the engine was taken by the bailiffs.

“Madrid’s problem this season has not been that they signed Kylian Mbappe. It is that they never adequately replaced Toni Kroos.”

Sure, Federico Valverde got the No.8 shirt and delivered outstanding performances throughout this season, but what Madrid truly needs is a pure passer, a player like Alexander-Arnold who can spot cracks in defenses. Without a tempo setter deep in the side, Madrid struggled to find an effective attack against Arsenal.

This defeat to Arsenal proves the value of a well-organized team, highlighting that if Real Madrid wants to reclaim its place at the top of European soccer, they must address the issues in their lineup. With Alexander-Arnold possibly arriving, he may offer the ideal solution to one of their most significant problems.