What exactly is causing Real Madrid's AI to always flop in Career Modes?

I'm genuinely curious, because it's a constant theme through various FIFAs (at least for me) to see Real Madrid fall off, often times from the very first season.

I can sort of see why Arsenal is a victim to this, as the AI always sells their best players. Honestly, it does seem iffy in their case too, but...

Real doesn't sell, and when they do, they replace their players very well. In my most recent save (Barca coach), not only did they not sell any player of note, but I sold to them! They bought Lewandowski, Raphinha and Christensen off my hands, and these players are all great in FIFA.

And guess what? They finished 9th in the league! They lost the Copa del Rey, lost the Spanish Supercup, and, fair to them, they're in the UCL final, against me. (As a sidenote, imagine what a high stakes game this match would be irl!)

It's not normal. It's not realistic in the slightest, and it's a constant issue through these games. Is this some kind of glitch, or what? Or is there someone at EA that really hates this team and hardcoded them to suck?