Real Madrid fans’ hopes that their team would find some consistency didn’t last long.

After consecutive victories in La Liga, Madrid traveled to Liverpool and failed. With a 2-0 defeat, their hopes of qualifying for the next phase of the Champions League were jeopardized.

It marks a huge change from June, when Carlo Ancelotti’s side were crowned European champions, and raises an important question: is there a lack of senior management in the club’s dressing room?

Since the Wembley win against Borussia Dortmund there has been an exodus of older players. Veterans Nacho Fernandez, Toni Kroos and Joselu have left and been replaced by less experienced players, including Endrick, a superstar talent who needs time to adjust to his new surroundings. Even Kylian Mbappe, who has played more than 400 first team games for club and country, needs to get used to life in a new country: nights like Wednesday, when he missed a crucial penalty, will not help that process.

The athletic one has spoken to multiple sources associated with the team and coaching staff, who preferred to remain anonymous to protect their positions, to find out whether these leadership concerns are shared internally.

The feedback was that the atmosphere among the players is still good and that they still support Ancelotti despite recent defeats and some doubts about the style of play. The fact that Vinicius Junior and Federico Valverde hugged Ancelotti after scoring goals recently was cited as a sign of their genuine affection for the Italian.

However, it is acknowledged that there are fewer strong voices in the locker room.

One player who has been sorely missed is Dani Carvajal, one of the most vocal players who often encourages his teammates. His anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury against Villarreal in October, which will likely rule him out for the rest of the season, has left a void, although the coaching staff has offered him the opportunity to travel with the team and help them out when whatever he wants. When asked about leadership at a press conference last week, Ancelotti accepted that Carvajal was “an important player” who was missing.

Dani Carvajal has been missing since his injury (Pedro Castillo/Real Madrid via Getty Images)

In his absence, others had to step in. Lucas Vazquez is one of the few who continues to speak out when things go wrong this season. Vazquez, who has also been injured for several weeks, is seen as a unifying figure in the locker room as he maintains a relationship with virtually all of his teammates.

Luka Modric also offers leadership qualities, albeit of a quieter kind. The 39-year-old speaks to the coaching staff, who consult him on tactical ideas, but he doesn’t raise his voice that quickly. His daily work ethic and dedication serve as a role model to the young players rather than his messages to the group.

Ancelotti has highlighted other players who he believes are taking on more responsibility, including Valverde. Due to injuries, the Uruguayan was captain for the first time against Leganes.

He is very popular in the locker room, but is generally seen as a shy person who rarely speaks up, although that in itself is not a problem. “I prefer a player like him who provides leadership on the pitch rather than just talking,” a dressing room source said.

Mbappe isn’t one to make big speeches either. The striker is respected, but is seen as someone who focuses primarily on his own performance. He can communicate well in almost all languages ​​spoken in the dressing room, although his biggest circle of friends are the other French players in the squad: Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga and Ferland Mendy. However, the club hopes that its leadership will grow over time if it is accompanied by sporting success.

In the absence of experienced voices, Madrid will be hoping veteran defender David Alaba will help his teammates when he returns from his own cruciate ligament injury, expected in January. Antonio Rüdiger has now proven that he can support young talent both in training with coaching and behind closed doors.

But when talking about a future leader, the name Jude Bellingham comes to mind. The England midfielder was a key player in his first season and quickly gained the respect of his senior colleagues due to his technical qualities. At the moment there is a feeling in the dressing room that he doesn’t have a handle on the team yet because he isn’t fluent in their languages, which makes it harder for him to connect.

Still, Bellingham was willing to express his displeasure with poor performances and demand more from his teammates. His verdict on Madrid’s performance at Anfield told TNT Sports – “Liverpool wanted it more” – was an indication of this. The fact that he spoke to broadcasters after the game and held the official UEFA pre-match press conference suggests a willingness to take on more responsibility.

Jude Bellingham begins to take on more leadership responsibilities (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

Vinicius Jr. is also described as a leader on the pitch and is now considered the one his teammates rely on the most. Before his latest injury, the Brazilian was Madrid’s most prolific striker, having been involved in 20 goals (12 goals and eight assists), and he can be a vocal presence in dressing room discussions.

However, these are young players who cannot be expected to emerge as leaders at this stage of their careers. This is one of the reasons why Sergio Ramos is being touted as a possible transfer option for Madrid, especially given their many injured defenders.

Ramos is a Madrid icon, a five-time La Liga champion and four-time Champions League winner, yet the former captain is not necessarily considered the right fit for this dressing room. Ramos is certainly a vocal senior player – something Madrid clearly lacks – but sources suggest that missing such a strong personality could shake up the squad dynamic.

The hope at Madrid is that the former legends don’t need to be brought back and that the new talent will fill the gap. “It’s a process that takes time,” Ancelotti said recently when asked about the team’s transition to younger players.

The problem is that time at the Bernabeu is always short.

(Top photo: Michael Regan/UEFA via Getty Images)