Real Madrid from the executioner of the English clubs to the victim of the European Champions | sports

After Spanish Real Madrid was a nightmare for European clubs, including English ones, the scene has changed in the last two years, and the royal team has become an almost permanent victim of the Premier League teams in the Champions League.

Last Tuesday, Real Madrid lost to its host Liverpool with an unanswered goal scored by Argentine Alexis McAllister in the main continental championship.

McAllister’s header hits Courtois’s net 🥅🔴#UEFA_Champions_League | #Liverpool | #real madrid pic.twitter.com/pqK1h08wJ7

— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) November 4, 2025

That loss established what has become commonplace in recent years, which is that Real Madrid has transformed, for English clubs, from a powerful and terrifying monster into a meek lamb and a preferred victim that imposes its style and physical and tactical strength on him without significant resistance.

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From confidence to confusion

In the past, Real Madrid would face Liverpool or Manchester City with unwavering confidence. He knew that small details, such as a moment from Benzema, a touch from Modric, or a save from Courtois, are enough to resolve any confrontation, but now, the team seems unable to keep up with the rapid rhythm imposed by English clubs, as confidence has turned into confusion, and dominance into a late reaction.

Anfield night a wake-up call

The recent defeat at Anfield was a new shock. The 0-1 result was not just a passing loss, but rather a reflection of the difference in intensity and determination.

Real Madrid was content with possession (61%) without real effectiveness, while Liverpool imposed its rhythm from beginning to end, and the loss came to confirm that things were not moving in the right direction.

Decline in performance and results

Between 2021 and 2023, Real Madrid was terrorizing English teams. It defeated Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City on its way to the title, achieving 8 victories against only 4 defeats.

But that dominance has collapsed. Since the 2023-2024 season, the team has only achieved two wins in 7 matches, and lost 5 times, a record that clearly shows that the balance is no longer tilted towards Madrid as it was.

Results of Real Madrid’s last 8 matches against English clubs:

1. Real Madrid 3-3 Manchester City (Champions League quarter-finals 2023-2024, first leg).
2. Manchester City 1-1 Real Madrid (4-5 on penalties) (Champions League quarter-finals 2023-2024 second leg).
3. Liverpool 2-0 Real Madrid (League stage of the Champions League 2024-2025).
4. Manchester City 2-3 Real Madrid (first leg of the knockout stage of the Champions League 2024-2025).
5. Real Madrid 3-1 Manchester City (second leg of the knockout stage of the Champions League 2024-2025).
6. Arsenal 3-0 Real Madrid (Champions League quarter-finals 2024-2025, first leg).
7. Real Madrid 1-2 Arsenal (2024-2025 Champions League quarter-finals, second leg).
8. Liverpool 1-0 Real Madrid (League stage of the Champions League 2025-2026).

Spanish crisis

The poor results against English clubs are not limited to Real Madrid only, but rather reflect the decline of Spanish football in general, in the face of the physical and tactical superiority of the English.

In the current edition of the Champions League, 8 confrontations took place between English and Spanish clubs, ending with 7 defeats for the La Liga representatives, compared to a single victory for Barcelona over Newcastle, where Anfield swallowed Real Madrid and Atletico, Newcastle exhausted Bilbao, and Arsenal crushed Atletico by four, while Manchester City and Tottenham tasted the bitterness of defeat by Villarreal.

Survival test

The conflict between La Liga and the Premier League turned into a confrontation between two different styles: technical versus physical, control versus pressure. The result so far favors the English, who are not content with winning, but are imposing a new reality in European football.

Real Madrid, the symbol of continental glory, finds itself today facing a real test. Will it regain its prestige, or will it be content with playing the role of the “former king” in a theater that has become run with a merciless English rhythm?