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Real Madrid casts a gargantuan shadow on the European stage; 12 European cups - 5 more than the nearest contender, 3 UCL trophies in the past 4 years and an appearance in at least the semifinal stage for all editions of UEFA Champions League since the turn of the decade.
Yet there are plenty of reasons to believe the Spanish giants could miss out on a historic night in Kiev this time out.
We present you five reasons Real Madrid will not reach the UEFA Champions League final this year.
#5 Bale’s recurring injury and form concerns
During Real Madrid’s recent 6-3 win over Girona recently, a commentator suggested that Bale needs to prove himself if he wants to start the Champions League tie against Juventus; “If Gareth Bale can show he’s at the same level as Lucas Vazquez, now’s the time.”
How the mighty have fallen. From the moment he arrived, injury problems have plagued Bale. Calf problems have seen him miss much of this season, in fact he has made just 29 appearances in all competitions this season.
Even when fit, Bale has been unable to force his way into Zidane’s recently preferred flat 4-4-2, with Asensio and Vazquez lining up on the flanks and Benzema alongside Ronaldo preferred upfront.
Gareth Bale has been a very important figure in Real Madrid’s recent European success. His goal to give Real Madrid the lead in the 2014 UCL final quickly comes to mind. He has started 2 of the 3 Champions League finals for Real in these 4 years. His absence, or lack of presence, will certainly have a huge impact on Real’s chances this time around.
#4 Benzema's goal scoring woes
Benzema has never been an out-and-out goal scoring striker, yet 4 goals in 23 league appearances is a measly return. Across all competitions, Benzema is yet to reach a 2 figure goal scoring return – an underwhelming statistic for a Real Madrid striker.
With 37 goals across all competitions, Ronaldo has taken the goal scoring burden almost entirely unto himself – little wonder he has attempted in excess of 200 shots at goal.
With two of the much vaunted ‘BBC’ struggling, Real Madrid’s toils this season are to be expected. Zidane tried to take Benzema out of the firing line by deploying a front two of Bale and Ronaldo against Eibar 2 weeks ago, but Bale was anonymous and largely struggled to impose himself on the game.
Defeat at Espanyol aside, Real Madrid are in brilliant form since mid-February, thanks largely to Ronaldo’s goal-scoring spree. He has scored 21 goals in 13 games in 2018, but his teammates have to start chipping in soon if Real Madrid are to retain their purple patch.
#3 Lack of tactical variations
The fullbacks play high up the pitch, offering overlapping runs and swinging in crosses from the byline. The inverted wingers drift to the centre and aim to provide cutbacks for the strikers.
The central midfielders spray passes across the pitch and occasionally over the top for the fullbacks or Ronaldo. Benzema starts in the central striker position but spends a lot of time on the flanks, Ronaldo starts out wide but spends a lot of time in the penalty box.
All well and good, except it all stops there. Just like you can’t stop Arjen Robben even if you know what he will do, you can’t stop Real Madrid just by predicting what they are up to. Their players are simply that good.
But up against top coaches in the caliber of Guardiola, Klopp, Heynckes or Allegri, their one-dimensional attacking play might be effectively smothered. In fact if anyone needs help, Pochettino provided a blueprint by beating Real Madrid at Wembley early on.
#2 No squad depth
With respect to their goals and assists contributions, Real Madrid off-loaded 39 goals in the summer transfer window with the departure of James Rodriguez and Alvaro Morata. Bale’s fitness problems and Benzema’s form have meant these goals could not be replaced within the starting eleven.
The decision to go into the season with just 20-year-old Borja Mayoral as Benzema’s backup seems more inexplicable by the day, while the pursuit of Mbappe lacked a single minded zeal to get the deal across the line.
It is clear that the Madrid squad will be reinforced in the summer. Perhaps a galactico or two can be expected, considering that the last truly superstar signing was that of James in 2014. Zidane’s strongest options to change a game off the bench; Asensio and Vazquez are regularly being tasked with starting roles.
Bernardo Silva, Ilkay Gundogan, and Sergio Aguero/Gabriel Jesus are some of the options Manchester City can bring off the bench. Robben and Ribery are not guaranteed starters at Bayern either. To hold their own against the best in Europe, Real need a better equipped squad than the one they currently possess.
#1 Issues with defense
Real Madrid have conceded more goals in La Liga this season than Barcelona and Atletico Madrid combined. Injuries to Ramos, Varane, Marcelo, Keylor Navas and the likes at various stages of the season have plagued Real Madrid.
As good as he is defensively, Casemiro lacks confidence on the ball, making Real vulnerable to a high pressing team like Tottenham. Real’s heavy reliance on fullbacks for creativity has also left them vulnerable to lightning-paced counter-attacks.
It doesn’t help that Real isn’t suited to hold on to the ball and kill off the game after taking a lead. When they lose the ball, Real Madrid players hardly make efforts to initiate a counter press.
With the fullbacks and the midfielders mostly of offensive orientation (except for Casemiro), this leaves Real Madrid extremely vulnerable to counterattacks. Ronaldo and Bale on either wing don’t make good cover either if you are a Real Madrid fullback hoping to be protected by your winger.
In previous seasons, this simply didn’t matter; Real Madrid outscored the opposition week in, week out. This season, the chance conversion rate has steeply fallen, and Real’s attackers can no longer bail out their defenders on a constant basis.
Salah, Sane, Lewandowski, Messi and the likes would certainly be happy at the prospect of taking on this Real Madrid defence.
