It has not been the best of seasons for Real Madrid, whose only hope of fighting for the league title suffered a massive blow when they were held to a draw by Real Betis.

The Spanish giants were leading for the major part of the proceedings, but a late goal in injury time from former Arsenal man Hector Bellerin meant Alvaro Arbeloa’s men only had to settle for a point.

This was not the first time Real Madrid had to drop points because of their lack of concentration during the final minutes of matches.

As pointed out by Defensa Central, Real Madrid have conceded late goals in four of their last six matches, a run that spans fixtures against Betis, Alaves, Bayern Munich and Mallorca.

Three of those goals came in stoppage time, with the Mallorca strike proving enough to hand the hosts all three points and the Betis equaliser costing Real Madrid two.

The Bayern Munich goal, of course, carried even greater consequences, notably contributing to their elimination from the Champions League.

Real Madrid have given too many points away with last-minute goals. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

Moreover, with the exception of Bayern Munich, all of the teams that punished Real Madrid in the closing stages are considerably weaker on paper.

This draws a damning parallel with the final months of Carlo Ancelotti’s tenure and the early part of the season under Xabi Alonso.

Arbeloa has shown flashes of getting the best out of players like Vinicius, Valverde and Brahim at various points, but the team has visibly unravelled in recent weeks.

There is little doubt within the club that Arbeloa will not be in charge next season. The search for his replacement is already underway, with various names under consideration.

Recent reports suggest Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is a huge fan of AC Milan boss Massimiliano Allegri, although Jurgen Klopp remains the preferred pick.