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After winning the Champions League and finishing the transfer window business, Real Madrid still have a squad that can win every competition this season. With new high-profile acquisitions of James Rodriguez and Toni Kroos, Carlo Ancelotti does have enough marquee players to provide the required stability to the squad.Let's take a look at the 5 key players for Real Madrid this season.
#5 Karim Benzema
If there is one player at the current Real Madrid squad that has been at times, misunderstood and mismanaged it is none other than Karim Benzema. The French striker arrived in the same summer as Cristiano Ronaldo, but their fortunes couldn’t have gone more different. While Ronaldo has broken every goal scoring there is and scored over 250 goals for the club in his five seasons, the Frenchman hasn’t even managed half of that and has often been the fall guy when anything went wrong.
But last season changed all of that as the Frenchman flourished with Ronaldo and Bale on either side of him and the trio scored a total of almost 100 goals between them. It looked as though the Frenchman had finally found his place in the side. This time around, he will be hoping to build on that and break the 20-goal mark in the League for only the second time.
Although the club’s deadline day purchase of Javier Hernandez means that the Frenchman will finally have some competition, the fact that both have very different styles means that the Mexican is unlikely to trouble him any time season. Nonetheless the club will be hoping that the competition for places will only make him better.
#4 Sergio Ramos
There are few footballers that divide opinion around the world as much as Sergio Ramos does. The Spanish centre half is adored the Madrid faithful for his crunching tackles and his crucial goals, but everywhere else he is seen as the pantomime villain, the cause of all trouble on the football pitch.
In his 10th season with Real Madrid, the 28-year-old is arguably the side’s premier defender and is just one shy of 50 goals for Real Madrid. Powerful and commanding in the air in both boxes, the Spaniard is someone who is tenacious and unwilling to give up any cause. While this puts him in trouble at times and drags him out of position, it is what makes him a favourite with the fans.
For all of Real Madrid’s attacking prowess, as Real Sociedad showed, they are still vulnerable at the back. With the goalkeeping situation still unclear, the side need some to step up from defence and lead the side and who better than the club’s vice-captain who has so often stepped up at crucial moments when it mattered most. If Real are to maintain their form from last season, if not go one better, they need Ramos to be in full form.
#3 Toni Kroos
One of the main reason why Real Madrid were able to let go of Xabi Alonso to Bayern Munich without too much fuss was because of Toni Kroos. Although Alonso was getting on, he was still an integral part of the side which claimed their 10th European title last year. The club’s acquisition of Toni Kroos however, meant that the club had a player who could not only do the job Alonso did last season, but also offer a lot more going forward.
The 24-year-old Kroos was signed on the back of a stellar World Cup for his country and a season in which he firmly established himself as first-choice in a Bayern Munich side brimming with superstars. The German central midfielder is someone who can not only replace Alonso as the side’s holding midfielder, but can also play as a more attacking box-to-box player if the situation demands it.
The German’s versatility coupled with his impeccable passing range makes him an upgrade on Alonso who, for all of his qualities, could never really give the side flexibility to change things around. So expect him to not only provide cross-field passes for Bale and Ronaldo on the wings, but also get on the end of a few crosses and score goals as well.
#2 Gareth Bale
When Real Madrid signed Gareth Bale from Tottenham last summer for a world-record fee, the expectations were sky high. Although injuries stopped him getting his debut immediately, once he started, there was little that was stopping him. Not many expected too much out of Bale, as it was his first season outside of England.
Instead of starting slowly and gradually getting up to speed, the Welshman started like a house on fire and immediately showed why the club had broken the bank to seal his signature. 15 goals and 12 assists in the League in his debut season was a phenomenal return for a player who started his career with the club injured. His brilliant solo-goal against Barcelona in the Cup final was the stuff of dreams and showed just how devastating he could be.
With a season under his belt, the 25-year-old will be expected to shoulder much more responsibility this time around. Even more so now that Ronaldo’s season has hit a hitch right at the start, if the Portuguese attacker takes time to get back to full fitness, the onus will be on Bale to get the side going. The extra responsibility might just be an advantage that the Welsh winger might make full use of.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo
The only constant in this ever-changing Real Madrid attack in the past five years has been Cristiano Ronaldo. The reigning Ballon d’Or winner and European player of the year has started the season with doubts about his fitness. Even with all the attacking talent at the club, the 29-year-old is still leader when it comes to attack and the player that everyone else looks to pass to if the side are in desperate need of a goal.
Having scored at least 50 goals in each of his last four seasons with Los Blancos, it is fair to say that he is the side’s number one goal threat. He has already gotten off the mark this season and will be keen on adding to it once he has fully recovered from his patellar tendinitis, something that has continued to bother him from last season.
Although he scored 51 goals last season, that was his lowest goal return for Real Madrid since his debut season with the club. With a couple of world-class coming into the picture, if Ronaldo stays fit for the entire season, there is no doubt that he will cross the 50-goal mark yet again. And that is why he is the most important player at the club as long as he is there.
