Real Madrid and Liverpool: When Media Fabricates Its Own Narratives

I read an article about European football broadcast schedules, and the first thing that made me laugh was the name Jose Mourinho appearing in the list of Real Madrid coaches. Mourinho left the Bernabéu in 2026 and has shown no signs of returning. Yet a recent article still claims the Royal team has three consecutive wins under him. I don't know which season the author is writing about, but I know one thing for sure: if even basic information like the coach's name is wrong, then the other statistics are equally suspect. The context of the article is very simple: Real Madrid visits Real Betis, Liverpool visits Ipswich Town, plus a few matches in the Bundesliga and Ligue 1. The article merely provides broadcast schedules on channels like ON Football, SCTV15, FPT Play, TV360, ONSport. There is not a single line of tactical analysis, no expected lineups, no pressing or possession statistics. This is a TV viewing guide, not a football analysis piece. But that superficiality reflects a larger disease in sports media today: they report based on emotion, rely on meaningless numbers, and fabricate stories that don't exist. Look at Liverpool. The article says they have 2 points after 2 matches, no wins, and are in the lower half of the table. Sounds tragic, but 2 points after 2 matches means they drew both games. Not losing, but also not winning. That suggests they lack sharpness in finishing, not a full-blown crisis. Yet the media paints a gloomy picture, putting pressure on the coach and players. I have witnessed too many teams start slowly and then explode, and conversely, teams that win consecutively early in the season collapse by October. The season is 38 rounds long; nobody wins the title after 3 matches, and nobody gets relegated after 3 matches. Real Madrid, on the other hand, has won all 3 matches, collecting 9 points. But the article also admits they haven't faced any strong opponents. So what do those 3 wins mean? Not much. Beating a mid-table team doesn't prove you're a title contender. The match against Real Betis at the Benito Villamarín is the first real test. Betis is always an annoying team at home, with disciplined play and a knack for troubling big clubs. If Real Madrid wins, they begin to be seen as genuine contenders. If they drop points, the "haven't faced strong opponents" excuse will turn into a media crisis. That's how the media operates: they create stories to fill airtime, not to reflect the truth. What bothers me most is the article calling Ipswich Town an "opportunity" for Liverpool. Ipswich just got promoted, they're fighting to stay up, and theoretically, they are the weaker opponent. But newly promoted teams often have high morale; they play with the determination of those who have nothing to lose. They defend tightly, press aggressively, and know how to exploit opponents' mistakes. If Liverpool isn't careful, they could fall into a trap. I've seen too many big teams slip against smaller ones due to complacency. Calling it an "opportunity" is a shallow view, disrespectful to the opponent. I don't write to be loved; I write to be read. And I want my readers to understand: don't rush to believe the numbers and stories the media constructs. Look at the reality on the pitch. See if Liverpool is truly playing badly or just unlucky. See if Real Madrid is truly strong or just facing weak teams. Football is not mathematics; it's a sport full of emotion and surprise. Statistics are just tools, not truth. A stadium without spectators is just a parking lot painted grass-colored. And an article without analysis is just paper printed with colored letters. I stand between two worlds: one that is dying, one that refuses to be born. The dying world is the football the media creates, full of fake stories and meaningless numbers. The world that refuses to be born is the real football, where people watch matches with their eyes and hearts, not with stat sheets. When the whole world speaks in unison, my ears start ringing with the echo of mistakes. Everyone says Liverpool is in crisis, but I see they're just missing a bit of luck. Everyone says Real Madrid is flying high, but I see they haven't been tested. I'm not a contrarian because I like controversy. I'm contrarian because I see what others overlook. And I believe that after this round, we'll have more data to evaluate, but we'll also have more hastily constructed stories. Remember, football is a long-running drama, and we've only watched a few episodes. Don't rush to conclusions, don't rush to judge. Just watch, just feel, and let your heart guide you. As for me, I'll continue writing what I believe is right, even if I'm called a contrarian. Because they call me a contrarian; I call them the crowd.