5 interesting takeaways from Real Madrid in pre-season

Real Madrid will need to adapt to changes next season. Just like Barcelona, the Spanish giants also lost their captain Sergio Ramos this summer. The defender left the Santiago Bernabeu to complete a transfer to Paris Saint-Germain last month. He will surely be missed in the squad.

Meanwhile, Los Blancos are not afraid to kick-start a new era. Carlo Ancelotti was appointed manager following the dismissal of Zinedine Zidane and the Italian has wasted no time in getting things rolling in the Spanish capital. He took charge of Los Blancos' two pre-season games this summer: a 2-1 loss to Rangers and a goalless draw with AC Milan.

Judging by those results, one could be fooled into thinking that Real Madrid were utterly catastrophic but Los Blancos' pre-season campaign was beyond mere scorelines. The fans will be excited to take note of a couple of interesting points from the tour. Below, we look at five positive takeaways.

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#5 Carlo Ancelotti at the wheel

Real Madrid manager - Carlo Ancelotti

It was an interesting sight for the Los Blancos faithful to see Carlo Ancelotti representing the club on the touchline once again. The Italian is very popular among the fanbase following his successful first stint at the club in which he led them to claim the historic 'La Decima' in 2014.

In the two pre-season games of the summer, Real Madrid appeared to be more balanced than they were last term, employing sharp link-up plays and quickly transitioning from defense to attack. There were signs of more discipline and it will only get better as the new season progresses.

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#4 David Alaba offers hope at center-back

The solution to Real Madrid's center-back crisis?

The departures of Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane this summer mean that Real Madrid need to look at other options within the club. The tactician attempted an experiment with former Bayern Munich defender David Alaba, pairing him with Nacho at the heart of the defense during the clash with AC Milan.

Although the Austrian is known for his versatility, he has played as a left-back for most of his career. Nevertheless, that didn't stop him from impressing in the role. The defender staged an amazing performance and was one of the most impressive players on the pitch. Los Blancos managed to keep a clean sheet during the encounter, with Alaba proving he can step up and fix their center-back crisis.

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#3 Gareth Bale's return

The Welshman will take up a big role in Real Madrid's attack next season

The attacker spent last season on loan at Tottenham Hotspur, where he impressed with a return of 16 goals and three assists for the Premier League side across all competitions. He returned to the Santiago Bernabeu this summer with the aim of taking up a significant role for the club next season.

Bale shone under Ancelotti during their first stint together and the tactician is looking up to him for solutions in attack next season. The winger appears to have put his injury crisis behind him and that spells nothing but doom for opposition defenses. He featured in the goalless draw with AC Milan, showing flashes of brilliance before making way for Vinicius Junior at half-time.

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#2 The midfield remains hot

Modric was the best player on the pitch for Real Madrid in the clash with Milan

In the 2-1 loss to Rangers, Ancelotti decided to experiment with a trio of Antonio Blanco, Martin Odegaard and Isco but it didn't turn out well. Los Blancos played catch-up to the Scottish side for most of the game as they failed to dominate proceedings from the middle.

Luka Modric, Casemiro and Isco were given the nod in the subsequent game versus AC Milan and it worked wonders. The Spanish giants dominated the center zone easily, with nice link-up play and composure.

Luka Modric was a constant threat to the Italians throughout the game. The Croatian went very close to finding the back of the net shortly after the restart but was unfortunate to see his long-range effort hit the crossbar. Casemiro dealt well with the incoming pressure and Isco put up a decent performance as well.

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#1 Significant improvement in the second game

Real Madrid will be ready for the season

While it's true that Real Madrid put up a lackluster display in their clash with Rangers, the same cannot be said of the subsequent match against AC Milan. In fact, the team improved drastically when Ancelotti deployed the right people for the job.

The Galacticos enjoyed 54% of the possession on the night and recorded a 90% passing accuracy, winning nine corner kicks. They really showed that they wanted the win, firing a whopping 19 shots on goal throughout the game, with six of those on target. Modric struck the woodwork and Gareth Bale could've put the team ahead as well, but the Welshman missed from the spot at the 40th-minute mark.