5 things Real Madrid got wrong in 2017

2017 has been a mixed year of sorts for the Blancos. If you compare the first half of the year to the second, you will find two very contrasting stories. In the first half of 2017, nothing was wrong with the Galacticos.

In the second, however, only a few things have been right. Indeed, beating teams like Al Jazira has also become a daunting task for the Blancos as things just don’t seem to be happening for the reigning European champions.

So what has happened to the Blancos? What has gone wrong with them to fall from a place where they looked invincible only 6 months ago?

Let's take a look at some of them…

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#5 Selling Mariano Diaz

Mariano was let go to Lyon

The keyword here is Mariano. Real Madrid may have sold Alvaro Morata and James Rodriguez, but the man they truly miss is Mariano. Morata wanted to leave—there are no two ways about it—as he wanted more playing time and wasn’t happy with the bit part role that was entrusted to him.

However, Mariano, on the other hand, was content with the role of the backup striker, but Zinedine Zidane advised him to jump ship. This is quite absurd given that Benzema was the only senior striker in the team and Borja Mayoral didn’t exactly blow the German fans' minds with his performances at Wolfsburg.

And now, with the Merengues finding it extremely hard to score goals while Mariano is banging them almost every week, it makes this mistake all the more apparent. The Spaniard has scored 13 goals from 20 games this season, which would have been precious for the Blancos right now.

#4 Not buying a striker

Madrid sold Morata to Chelsea

Okay, alright, you sell Mariano and Morata… now what? Surely, these two will now be replaced by another striker who can be a proper backup to Karim Benzema, wouldn't they? However, Zidane opted to not sign anyone and this is what most Madrid fans don’t understand even now.

The Frenchman stated that he trusted Mayoral to be a worthy backup to Benzema. But then he rarely plays him. This is inscrutable, to say the least. It is not like Karim Benzema is setting the world on fire with his skills.

In fact, if anything, the former Lyon man’s inability to score on a consistent basis makes it utterly impossible to believe that he is indispensable. However, even after a series of bad performances, Zidane has often chosen Ronaldo as the number 9 instead of letting Mayoral in the team.

If he didn’t trust Mayoral to be the right backup for Benzema, why did he not sign someone in the first place? These are some of the burning questions to which we might never get an answer.

#3 Not buying a goalkeeper

Keylor Navas has been inconsistent

Keylor Navas made some stunning saves last season. In fact, the second half of last season was filled with superhuman efforts from the Costa Rican. However, the former Levante goalkeeper was inconsistent and didn’t really exude the unbreakable attitude that he had in his peak Levante days.

And now, this season, he has once again been erratic, mainly due to his niggling injuries. Speaking of injuries, the Costa Rican isn’t entirely one of those ‘keepers with a cat’s life. He has been injured in almost every season where he has been the Blancos’ first choice.

In fact, Navas wasn’t available in the initial stages of last season due to an Achilles irritation. So, it brings us to another question: why didn’t Zidane sign another goalkeeper to replace the injury-prone Navas?

A goalkeeper can only be at his best when given a run of games—which is why Casilla isn’t up to the mark when given the chance. This was another blunder from last summer and they should make amends as soon as possible.

#2 Not getting a proper medical team

Florentino Perez

Before the beginning of this season, Real Madrid let go of their controversial doctor, Jesus Olmo, a move that was welcomed by many players and fans alike. Olmo wasn’t entirely a revered figure due to the fact that the players didn’t like the way he treated certain injuries—especially the muscle-related ones.

So his sacking was a welcome move. The ideal thing would have been to hire someone who would put a halt to such niggling injuries and make sure that the players’ fitness remains at an optimum level.

However, that hasn’t happened. In fact, things have taken a turn for the worse. The man Real Madrid signed to replace Olmo was the Croatian Niko Mihic, but he hasn’t been able to stop the players from getting injured regularly.

Almost every Madrid player has been injured this seasons for at least some time. Be it Keylor Navas, Dani Carvajal, Jesus Vallejo, Marcelo, Mateo Kovacic, Gareth Bale… should I go on?

This brings us to the point where we ask ourselves: what the hell have the Blancos done?

#1 Giving Isco too much importance

Isco is a special talent, but sometimes gets a bit redundant

This might irk a lot of fans. But this is perhaps one of the reasons for Real Madrid’s downfall this season. It is funny how things change with time. Last season, this was the very reason why Real Madrid won a double—and now, this could lead to their demise.

When Zidane introduced the 4-3-1-2 last season with Isco in the middle behind Benzema and Cristiano, it made Madrid the best team in Europe. Gareth Bale was injured and Isco had to be utilized. As a result, this formation emerged and helped the club to and terrific season.

Isco was weaving magic from the middle as everything was flowing through him. It was beautiful to watch—almost as though Isco was a God creating worlds on the pitch. However, teams have identified his weaknesses and have used it against the club this term.

For one, the lack of width suffocates Real’s midfield to such an extent that they almost always have to push the ball wide and play the cross. The creative quality of midfielders like Luka Modric and Toni Kroos are nullified due to this.

This can be witnessed when Madrid play a 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 with two wide players. The club looks like an enriched side that doesn’t have many difficulties in creating chances. The sooner Zidane addresses this, the better.