'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABgf/2gAIAQEAAAAAmJv/xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAE/9oACAECEAAAAC//xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAG/9oACAEDEAAAAFv/xAAfEAADAAEDBQAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgMEAAUGERIxQeH/2gAIAQEAAT8Anx3CtsuYsUYZIyEql6OWKzC9pmR4Ptuuq8fWdXRsliykgkJ91//EABgRAAIDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIRAAED/9oACAECAQE/AC2Ohbn/xAAdEQABAgcAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAAIDBAUREiFR/9oACAEDAQE/AG02WMYtx1bpX//Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Real Madrid, the biggest and most successful club in the world, have been going through a rough phase this season. They are now at the fourth position in the LaLiga table with 30 points from 17 matches after having drawn with Villarreal 2-2 on Thursday.
They trail league leaders Barcelona by 7 points and Barca are unlikely to surrender that lead. Moreover, Real got hammered by Barca 5-1 when the sides met in a LaLiga clash at Camp Nou and are unlikely to do much better when those two meet again at Santiago Bernabeu in March.
Real have hardly been any better in the UEFA Champions League either and lost both their group matches against CSKA Moscow. They have somehow managed to qualify for the Round of 16, but should struggle to progress much further in the competition. They would face Ajax Amsterdam in the Round of 16 and might even struggle to beat them.
They might also find it difficult to finish inside the top 4 in the league and thereby ensure qualification for next season’s Champions League. We would now look at the 3 reasons behind Real’s poor form throughout this season so far:
1. Appointing managers in haste
Real declared the then Spanish coach Julen Lopetegui as their would-be manager in June as the Spanish national team was still preparing for the ensuing World Cup. It led to some bad blood between Spanish FA & Real and Fernando Hierro was appointed as Spain’s interim manager subsequently.
In hindsight, it seems that Real were more interested in one-upmanship and showing their clout than actually looking for their own betterment as a football club.
Lopetegui never had the pedigree of his predecessor Zinedine Zidane and clearly struggled to cope with the pressure of coaching Real. He was sacked finally after Real suffered the humiliating defeat against Barca and Santiago Solari, a former Real player, was appointed as his replacement.
Solari hardly had any prior experience of managing a football club and Real should probably have opted for a proven performer like Antonio Conte, who was available at that moment. They have hardly fared any better under Solari and might even look for his replacement in the near future. This situation could have been avoided by opting for a more experienced manager at the beginning of the season.
2. Inability to cope with Cristiano Ronaldo's departure
Ronaldo, the talismanic player for Real from 2009 to 2018, should not have been allowed to leave in the very first place. His record of 450 goals from 438 matches for Real speaks for itself and is unlikely to be repeated ever.
None of the Los Blancos forwards like Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale, Isco and Marco Asensio has gone even close to replicating Ronaldo’s outstanding exploits on a football pitch so far in this season.
Benzema has been reasonably good though, with 12 goals from 27 matches this season. However, he has well and truly lacked an able ally upfront. Isco has been sidelined for quite a while now and Asensio has struggled to find his glorious touch.
Bale’s days at Madrid seem to be numbered now and he is unlikely to feature in their squad in the next season. Lucas Vazquez has been tried as a right-winger but is not mature enough to perform consistently for a club like Madrid.
3. Brittle defence
Real’s defence has been shambolic at times this season and they should not even think of winning any major silverware with that kind of defence. They have kept 7 clean sheets in the league so far, but also let in 21 goals in 17 matches in the LaLiga.
Sergio Ramos has been an excellent performer for Real for more than a decade, but is 32 years old now and clearly past his prime. Raphael Varane is a very elegant player, but not strong enough to lead a defence.
Other defenders like Nacho and Dani Carvajal have struggled to find a regular place in the starting line-up and have played in only 13 and 18 matches respectively this season. To make matters worse, defensive midfielder Casemiro has also experienced a dip in form and been dropped from the starting eleven in the last few matches.
Real would definitely need to buy one or two defenders in near future in order to rectify their defensive fallibility.
