3 Things Real Madrid need to get back to being the best

Real Madrid are one of the grandest clubs in World Football, and they currently sit at 6th in the league table, struggling for goals and results this year after the departure of their leading goalscorer, Cristiano Ronaldo, and club legend, three-peat winning manager Zinedine Zidane. The problems are really piling on for Los Blancos, and they look way off from being the club that lifted the Champions League 4 times in the last 5 years.

They brought in former Spain coach Julen Lopetegui rather unceremoniously and ominously, to replace the enigmatic Frenchman and the former Porto boss ended up having the shortest stint of any manager at the Real Madrid hot-seat after a drubbing at the hands of FC Barcelona.

He's been replaced by former Castilla coach Santiago Solari on a permanent basis after their recent 2-4 victory against the high flying Celta Vigo, and the Argentine has done an overall okay job of steadying the Real Madrid ship.

There are a lot of problems that plague the Madrid squad, and Zidane famously said "The time is right" when he left. He added,

"It's not a decision I've taken lightly. I thought about it carefully and it's the right decision, even though I imagine many may not agree. After three years Real Madrid needs a change, another way of working, another idea, if we are to continue winning. I feel it's going to be difficult to continue winning. And because I'm a winner, I'm going."

That basically sums it all up. He knew before any of us did that the squad has a lot of underlying issues, and with Cristiano Ronaldo no longer present to paper over the cracks with his plethora of goals. Let's take a look at what the club and its hierarchy could do to improve the situation, and get the club back to the top where it deserves to be.

1) Reducing the President's role

Fiorentino Perez is in charge of all major decisions at the club, and he's made a lot of questionable ones of late, like letting Ronaldo leave for a direct European Rival

Don't get it wrong, fans are eternally grateful for everything he's done for the club, bringing in one of the most successful eras in the club's rich 116-year history. Papa Perez has been a key figure at the club, responsible for all incoming signings of key players such as Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Gareth Bale to name but a few.

The club have looked in dire need of a sporting director now, and whilst they are the first name that comes to mind when one says European Superclub, they have quite an archaic footballing model that still persists at the club, where the President, assisted by his board of directors makes all decisions for the club.

This outdated approach has worked quite well for Madrid so far, but again, many of the club's problems were masked due to the fact that Cristiano Ronaldo was playing spectacularly.

Appointing a Sporting Director and a technical staff to support him would give the club a new lease on life, bringing in fresh ideas and some much-needed change, as the squad seems to have stagnated in terms of growth and the results they are achieving.

Hiring a person who would run the day to day of the club whilst making the best footballing decisions to help the team progress seems to be the best way for the club to return to the pinnacle of world football. The question is, will Perez & Co. allow it.

2) Revamping the squad

Real Madrid ditched their policy of spending big on players ever since the purchase of James Rodriguez for 80 Million Euros after the 2014 World Cup and their last major incomings for the first XI were Toni Kroos and Keylor Navas, who were also purchased later in the same transfer window.

The majority of Real's key players are either above 30 or in their late 20's, with their average age being 29. Ronaldo's departure has reduced that somewhat but it still is an aging squad that could do with an injection of youth.

All of Keylor Navas, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo, Luka Modric, Karim Benzema are above the age of 30. Varane, Isco, Carvajal, Casemiro, Bale, and Kroos are all in their mid to late twenties. This should be a major issue of concern, as most of these players are locked in through 2021 or beyond and most are on the sort of wages that make them difficult to sell, even if there was interest from any other club (which there isn't).

Real's deficiencies at the back have been under the spotlight more than ever before, and as of now, Alvaro Odriozola and Sergio Ramos are the only fit first-team defenders at the club, with everyone else out with long and short-term injuries. Jesus Vallejo has been particularly disappointing since joining, having been out injured for longer than Jack Wilshere was at Arsenal, and the lack of cover at center back has caused Real's managers some real headaches over the past few seasons.

Defensive reinforcements are much needed, as the club also has to start thinking about Captain Marvel Sergio Ramos, who isn't getting any younger.

The club needs to buy someone who brings them goals and some sense of inventiveness in the final third, as Real have looked toothless at times this season. There is a Ronaldo shaped hole in the squad that needs to be filled, and it certainly won't be filled by the mediocre Mariano Diaz, who's scored only one goal so far since his return from Lyon earlier in the summer.

Kylian Mbappe should be the club's most serious target, given his incredible output, searing pace and the most appealing of all, his age, at 19 he has more than 10 years at the top level, which makes him seem a match made in heaven for the Blancos.

The plan should be to bring this team down and start from scratch with just a few cornerstones. That wasn't the case in the summer, as Perez instead chose to rely on Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale to replace the output of the club's best ever player, despite never showing themselves to be capable of producing such numbers. A re-haul of this squad is what's best for the club, and the sooner the hierarchy realizes that the better.

3) Patience from the fans

Here comes the big one. Something that is truly one of the most absurd things to ask for at the biggest club in the world, but patience is what is required the most at the club right now. From the Director's box to the fans in the upper decks. From fans all around the globe, it is a time where patience is the most vital virtue that the fans need to have for the club.

Real Madrid needs to show some faith and patience in their manager and players as the club goes through a transitional phase.

All the problems that riddle the club right now aren't small issues. They've been around for a while and will take quite some time to fix and get the club back on the right track. The signs are, the club is already moving in the right direction, as 18-year-old prodigy Vinicius is being given more and more time with the starting XI, and the club is trying the best they can to integrate more youth into an aging team.

A lot of big changes are going to happen at the club in the coming few windows, and what will be most important during this time is the fans' unconditional support, having faith that the results will come sooner or later. At a club like Real, where the margins are so thin, asking for patience might be a huge thing, but that is exactly what is needed as the club goes through an era of uncertainty after a long period of glory in the very recent past.

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