Deschamps’s approach revives a outdated managerial model that entrusts star players with authority, requiring the coach to simply avoid disrupting the Galácticos.
Such an approach might yield occasional silverware when backed by a solid defence and midfield, yet it falls short of fostering true, sustainable dominance.
President Florentino Pérez must acknowledge that the current strike partnership of Kylian Mbappé and Vinicius Jr has yet to fit the system, and their neglected defensive duties leave the team exposed.
So long as the club keeps hiring managers who pamper stars instead of imposing a clear tactical identity, it will keep relying on the “comeback culture” that cannot be counted on forever.
Real Madrid now faces a crossroads: cave in to the dressing room by hiring Deschamps and preserving the status quo, or return to its roots by appointing a genuine “project coach”—someone with total tactical authority, like Jürgen Klopp, should he accept.
Without that, the Bernabéu will keep simmering, and the big-name signings will remain a tactical burden until a leader brave enough to say “no” arrives.