Contrary to the previous nine seasons under the guidance of Leo Beenhakker, John Toshack, Alfredo Di Stéfano, Radomir Antić, Benito Floro, Vicente del Bosque, and Jorge Valdano, Real Madrid's offense malfunctioned as a result of systemic injuries of key players.

In November, Ramón Mendoza resigned as president due to economic, social, and sporting problems plaguing the club, with successful Real Madrid director Lorenzo Sanz being promoted to the presidency and tasked with overseeing the club's recovery.

Three months later, Jorge Valdano was sacked as a consequence of the team's bad league form and an early Copa del Rey exit, having been eliminated by Espanyol in the round of 16.

The latter technically allowed Madrid to enter the following season's Intertoto Cup (which was staged in the summer and served as a qualifier for the UEFA Cup), but they passed on the opportunity, meaning there would be no European football for Real next season for the first time since 1977.

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