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The post-Zidane era at Real Madrid has now begun. Julen Loptegui has taken over the reigns and faces a mountainous task of keeping up with the legacy of his predecessor.
The Spanish coach who was a goalkeeper for Madrid back in his playing days was controversially sacked from his job at the Spanish national team right before the World Cup. This prevented the world from catching a glimpse of his managerial efficacy first hand and the Madrid fans eagerly wait for what lies ahead of them this season.
Lopetegui has never won a league title in his managerial career yet has considerable experience of coaching the Spanish youth sides. His best record is perhaps for the Spanish national side where the team never lost in the 20 games they played under him.
His playing style and preferences can be picked up from that tenure and it leads us to believe that these will be the 5 players most crucial to him this coming season.
#5 Gareth Bale
Ronaldo has departed and Madrid is yet to get a viable alternative at the time of writing. Lopetegui himself has stated that he sees winger Asenjo as the successor to Ronaldo. While we believe that Ronaldo's alternative this season would be found on the opposite wing.
The Welsh magician moved from Tottenham for a then-record fee of nearly £100 million. His arrival was naturally greeted at the Bernabeu with a lot of expectations.
Fans might argue that Bale is yet to live up to those and has been completely overshadowed by compatriot Ronaldo during his time at the club. There might be some truth to that as Bale hasn't had a 20+ goal campaign in LaLiga as of yet which is extremely pale a statistic when compared to that of the Portuguese.
This season, however, he might be their chief goal threat in the absence of Ronaldo. Having already scored in the season opener, Bale would be looking to carry on this form and get into a potent goalscoring run.
The Welshman can be the main reliable asset in the team as has been proven in his Spurs days as well as with his exploits in the national side.
Time might have come for Bale to shoulder the attacking responsibility at Madrid as well.
#4 Isco
The player who was perhaps the most impressive in the Spanish side under Lopetegui, Isco usually plays in the hole as part of a midfield three and is given the license to roam about by his manager.
His goal scoring record under the Spanish coach was worth taking note - 9 of Isco's 11 international goals have come under Loptetegui.
This would look to continue with their time together at Madrid as well. Isco will no doubt be an instrumental player in the side and the one who will perhaps benefit the most by the arrival of his new coach.
#3 Karim Benzema
The Frenchman might be a surprise inclusion, as in his recent seasons he played only second fiddle to the other big stars at the club. He has gone on a rough goalscoring patch often and even looked to be on his way out at times.
Things look to be shaping a bit differently under Lopetegui.
Teams under the Spanish coach are known for their potency in front of goal. His Spanish national side averaged nearly 4 goals a game. A lot of this was attributed to the strikers in the team such as Diego Costa banging in the goals regularly.
This is something that is different from the norm in Spain, where teams usually rely on midfielders to inject that bit of quality up front and tough center forwards are a rarity.
Benzema might benefit from the new style of play at the club and has displayed at times that he can be a goal machine when on song.
His pre-season form has been impervious and if the Frenchman can carry it into the season, he may just remind everyone why he was one of the hottest strikers in the world at one time.
#2 Toni Kroos
Madrid in their first league game wasn't overly impressive and certainly looked like a side in transition. But there was one statistic that stood out - their possession percentage.
Los Blancos has a hefty 78% which is something that they haven't managed in a match for nearly 10 years.
A lot of this was down to the brilliance of Toni Kroos who controlled the tempo of the match with his passing ability. He had a pass accuracy of nearly 98% in the match and it is evident that this might remain the norm in the new Madrid side under Lopetegui.
Kroos is one of the best in the world in ball distribution and possession control. His abilities will be a necessity if Lopetegui wishes to build a side which controls the play.
Expect Kroos to play a lot deeper this season and work primarily as a link in midfield.
#1 Thibaut Courtois
Real Madrid has been wanting to bring in a big name keeper into their squad for some years now. After many seasons of being linked to David De Gea, they've finally managed to bring in the Belgian international from Chelsea.
Truth be told, Keylor Navas has been a pretty dependable keeper at the back and has rarely given his team a cause for concern. Fans would still prefer someone who can do a lot more than being dependable, and Courtois is exactly that someone who can take the team to the next level.
He displayed at the World Cup how good he actually is and will be saving Madrid a lot of goals and points this season.
Lopetegui has pointed out that he intends to rotate the keepers this season while Navas has started in goal in the opening fixtures. However, expect Courtois to be gradually phased into the team and hereafter become a crucial part of their squad.
