Real Madrid claimed a thrilling 3-2 win over hosts Elche, but left the Martínez Valero with plenty of question marks. Their comfortable superiority turned into a genuine struggle in the second half, a display that revealed a sudden decline and almost cost them two precious points.
Spanish newspaper "Marca" laid into head coach José Mourinho and the Real Madrid players, stressing that what happened in the second half cannot be easily explained. Real Madrid looked completely different from the side that imposed itself strongly in the first half and went in 2-0 up.
Clear criticism followed over the way the team handled the match, with the newspaper arguing that the players retreated inexplicably and let Elche take control of the game.
Before the break, Real Madrid looked to be cruising to a comfortable victory. Arda Güler and Kylian Mbappé scored, and several other chances went begging that could have settled the encounter early.
The advantage didn't last. Güler faded alongside a number of the team's most prominent stars after half-time, and Real Madrid turned from a proactive side into one waiting for their opponent's attacks.
The problem, "Marca" believes, was not only the result but the way Real Madrid handled their lead. Instead of pressing on and hunting a third goal to kill the game, the team dropped deep in search of a counter-attack. That invited Elche back into it and let them pile continuous pressure on the Real Madrid goal.
Criticism did not stop at the players' retreat. José Mourinho found himself forced into successive attacking changes in an attempt to save the situation.
He brought on Jude Bellingham and Brahim Díaz, and even used Brahim at right-back during one of the spells when Real Madrid were under the most pressure.
With the team still struggling, Mourinho reached for a more attacking solution and finished the match with three out-and-out forwards, Mbappé, Endrick and Espy, alongside Brahim Díaz, Diomande and Bellingham, all in a bid to reclaim control of a match that had slipped from his grasp.
Even that wasn't enough to prevent the chaos of the final minutes. Then Espy popped up again at the right moment and scored a goal that saved Real Madrid from a collapse that had seemed near, handing his side a win that had gone from a logical result to one they had to fight hard to protect.
Mourinho had blamed the physical factor for the drop-off against Rayo Vallecano in the previous match, but "Marca" believes the Elche scene was different, especially as Real Madrid started with five changes to their line-up.
This time, according to the newspaper, the problem was less physical and more about the team's performance, its decisions and the attitude of its players on the pitch.
Most worrying of all is the timing. This decline came just five days before the Madrid derby against Atlético at the Metropolitano, where Real Madrid will need a completely different display to avoid repeating the second-half scenario against Elche.