Real Madrid and Manchester United are two of the biggest names in world football but both clubs are now besieged with such problems as consistency, tactics and team balance.
The difference is their problems are different. Real Madrid still have a squad full of stars and can still win big games and Manchester United are failing to show up consistently and get enough points.
Real Madrid's Current Problems
Real Madrid suffered another setback on 20 September 2026 when they lost 2-1 to Atlético Madrid in the Madrid derby.
The defeat was despite Madrid having several world-class attacking players. Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior are still big threats and Jude Bellingham is a quality midfielder.
But the team has not always appeared balanced. Real Madrid had been performing well before the derby, but there were questions about defensive consistency and midfield structure. José Mourinho’s team still had not found that right tactical balance and had only kept one clean sheet in its first six league games, The Guardian said.
The derby exposed some of those issues. After Dean Huijsen was sent off early in the second half, Atlético took control and scored twice. Real Madrid struggled to create clear chances, finishing with only 0.32 expected goals, according to Opta's analysis.
Mourinho has another difficult job
José Mourinho has come back to Real Madrid, but bringing back a famous manager does not automatically recreate the past.
Even now the team is different, the opposition is different, the demands of modern football are different.
Mourinho’s team can still win games. But the recent derby showed that having elite forwards isn’t enough if the midfield and defence aren’t delivering the necessary balance.
Manchester United's Problems Are Deeper.
Manchester United’s present state of affairs is more worrying in terms of results.
On September 20, United drew 1-1 with Fulham, with Matheus Cunha providing a late equaliser. The result meant United had only one Premier League win in their first five league games and were 10 points behind Manchester City.
The draw followed defeats against Manchester City and Brighton, and added more pressure on manager Michael Carrick.
United also had physical and defensive difficulties against Fulham. The hosts ran 6.6km more than United, according to figures reported by The Guardian, and Carrick denied that fitness was the main problem.
Why star players are not solving it
And these two sides have the same basic football lesson: you can never replace team quality with a good team structure.
Real Madrid have Mbappé, Vinícius and Bellingham. United have Bruno Fernandes, Matheus Cunha and other talented players.
But teams need a lot more than pure attacking talent. They need a controlling midfielder, defensive organisation, constant pressing and players who are well-versed in their roles.
The Real Challenge
Real Madrid’s hardest job at present is finding the right tactical balance and defensive consistency.
Manchester United’s focus is much broader: improving performances, finding consistency and reducing the gap between what they are doing and what they are producing on the pitch.
Their glory days may be in their story but neither of these clubs can simply recreate those teams. The current squads are different and the football environment is different.
The next step is not to come up with another famous name. The next step is to build a system where the players who have already arrived at the clubs actually deliver consistently.
