6 problems Santiago Solari must fix to succeed at Real Madrid

After impressing significantly enough in his first four matches in charge of Real Madrid on a caretaker basis, Santiago Solari was announced as the permanent manager of the club in a press conference on Monday night.

The 42-year-old was thrust into the managerial hot seat two weeks ago after the club parted ways with Julen Lopetegui after just 14 matches into his reign, and the Argentine hit the ground running, winning his opening three matches without conceding a goal to mark the best managerial start at Real since 1957.

Even though the former Real Madrid winger was not the club hierarchy's first choice for the role, with reports emanating that coaches such as Conte and Pochetino turned Perez down, circumstances conspired in his favour to land him the job, and he must make the most of his opportunities.

Real Madrid is the biggest club in the world, and the pressure to win all matches is so great that not many can cope with it, as Lopetegui found out, and Solari would do well to get his house in order to survive the treacherous waters of the Real Madrid bench. Here we list six grey areas which Solari must address if he is to be successful as Real Madrid's manager.

#6 The defensive issues

Real Madrid's struggles at the back are well documented, and the club has largely been getting away with it owing to their superior attack, as Ronaldo's goals ensured they were almost always bailed out no matter the number of goals they conceded.

With their record goalscorer gone, however, a negative light has been cast on the club so far, and their defensive shortcomings have been brought to the fore.

In 12 La Liga matches thus far, Los Blancos have conceded 16 goals, which is the joint-9th worst defensive record in the league (11 clubs including relegation-threatened Villareal have conceded less), while they have kept just four clean sheets in the process.

Solari might have begun his reign rather impressively, by not conceding any goal in his first three matches, but with all due respect to the teams he faced, they were not exactly of the highest quality in terms of opposition.

His first big test came at the Ballaidos against Celta Vigo, and his team conceded on two occasions, while also relying on the frame of the post to bail them out as was the case against Victoria Plzen and Real Valladolid.

Solari's case is hardly helped by the fact that three of his first four starting defenders are currently ruled out with injury, with Marcelo, Carvajal and Varane all suffering one knock or the other, while deputies Sergio Reguilon and Nacho Fernandez also pulled out during the win over Vigo alongside midfield lynchpin Casemiro.

Strong football teams are built on solid defences, and even though Real have largely got by in the past, if Solari is to succeed moving ahead, he would do well to find a lasting solution to Real's current defensive malaise.

#4 Modric's form and the lack of creativity

Modric has been horribly off form this season

Luka Modric arrived Real Madrid in 2012 from Tottenham and has firmly established himself as one of the best midfielders in the course of his six-year trophy-laden stay at the club.

Earlier in the summer, the 33-year-old became the long awaited player to break the duopoly of Ronaldo and Messi on individual awards, when he pipped them to the top gongs at the FIFA and UEFA awards earlier in the summer, with reports emanating that he is also the forerunner for the Ballon d'Or later this year.

However, since returning form his Golden Ball-winning performance at the World Cup, Luka has been terribly off form, playing at his lowest level since he arrived the Bernabeu.

He has struggled to influence matches from the middle like the world has been accustomed to, and was earmarked as one of several players responsible for Real Madrid's slump and Lopetegui's sack.

Real Madrid may have gotten by without Modric's influence since Solari's appointment, but the deeper we go into the business end of the season, the more the team would need top performances from its best players, hence Solari would do well to get Modric playing back to his imperious best.

#3 Keep Benzema scoring

A player who has blown hot and cold throughout the season, Benzema was thrust into the spotlight as the man earmarked to lead Real Madrid's attack following Ronaldo's departure, and many believed he was not fit to do so owing to his scoring struggles in recent seasons.

Benzema scored just 16 league goals in 61 appearances in the last two seasons, and this was seen as too poor a return for the top striker of a mega club like Real Madrid, and it was expected that the club would seek a quality replacement like Mauro Icardi or Harry Kane, but those speculations amounted to nothing.

The former French international started the season in impressive form, scoring five goals in his first four matches, but went on a drought for the next eight, as Lopetegui's time in charge capitulated in front of the whole world.

Thus far under Solari, Benzema is once more scoring and has arguably been the best player, netting three times in as many appearances under his new boss, including a brace against Victoria Plzen, and having a hand in Real's third against Celta Vigo, after some impressive footwork from him saw the ball rebound off Gustave Cabral into the Celta net for an own goal.

Goals win matches, and since Karim Benzema is the club's only recognised striker, it is imperative to keep him scoring, and thus far, Solari seems to have his pin code and it would serve everyone's best interest if that continues being the case.

#2 Sort out Bale's role in the team

Bale has struggled since Ronaldo's departure

Gareth Bale was signed in the summer of 2013 by Real Madrid for a then world record fee from Tottenham, after his impressive performances in London saw him win the PFA Player of the Year on two occasions.

Since then, the Welshman has gone on to become one of the most decorated players of his generation, winning everything there is to win at club level at the Bernabeu.

However, on a personal level, the move has not been as beneficial for the 29-year-old, as injuries and a competition for places has limited his impact, with the result being that five years later, Madrid fans around the world are still divided on whether Bale has actually justified the huge outlay to get him.

There have been undeniable flashes of his brilliance and talent, with his bicycle kick in the UCL final against Liverpool alongside his solo run wonder goal against Barcelona in the Copa Del Rey final of 2014 serving as proof of this, but he did not do this regularly enough to make a case for himself.

The reason for this was the presence of Ronaldo. The Portuguese was the former world most expensive player pre-Bale and with his status as possibly the greatest player in the history of Madrid, as well as being the symbol of the club for the nine years he spent there meant that the spotlight could not be shared with anyone else at the Bernabeu.

Gareth Bale voiced his displeasure at his lack of opportunities on multiple occasions, and rumours were rife that he would depart the club at the end of last season.

As it happened, however, it was Ronaldo that departed, and many believed the time was ripe for Gareth Bale to become the talisman of the team and show the world what he was truly capable of, having been in Ronaldo's shadows for five seasons.

However, Bale has struggled to step up to the plate since Ronaldo's departure, failing to influence matches in the manner that the Portuguese did.

After Ronaldo left the club, Bale was one of a number of players who opined that the team would become better and that he was pleased to be playing a central role, but with just 5 goals in 15 matches, he has not stepped up to the plate as an on-field leader, and this is an area that Solari would have to address.

#2 Get the best out of Marco Asensio

Asensio has failed to hit the heights expected

Another player expected to benefit from Ronaldo's departure, Asensio announced himself to the world in 2017, scoring a goal in the UCL final against Juventus, before scoring two stunners from distance in the 5-1 aggregate victory over Barcelona in the 2018 Spanish Super Cup.

Ronaldo's presence meant his impact was limited, even though he made a significant number of appearances as Ronaldo also operated on his preferred position out on the left flank.

With Ronaldo's departure, this was earmarked as the season where Asensio would truly break out and become one of the elite players in the world, but that has not been the case so far.

The 22-year-old has scored just two goals in 17 appearances this season and has found himself out of the first team in recent weeks as a result.

Marco Asensio was touted as one of the future Golden players of Spanish and Real Madrid's football, and it is imperative that Santi Solari figures out a way to get the best of his undoubted talents to succeed at the club.

#1 Balance the Squad depth

Real Madrid has one of the strongest teams in world football, with numerous of their players being among the very best in their respective positions in the world.

However, on closer examination, you would find out that the quality is limited to the starting eleven, with there not being much to choose from in terms of quality alternatives.

It is a problem which has plagued the club for a while, and while the Champions League was won on consecutive occasions, Ronaldo's goals helped mask the cracks in the continental competition, and nowhere was this more evident than in La Liga where the club finished a massive 17 points behind Barcelona.

It is a problem which Zidane foresaw imploding, and left while the ovation was loudest, and the club has failed to address these issues comprehensively.

A quality bench is needed at football teams to offer viable options for coaches when things are going south on the field of play, and a cursory look at Manchester City in the Premier League would give a perfect example of that, as Pep has an abundance of talent to choose from both on the bench in case he wants to make tactical twitches, which is an option Solari currently does not have.

Real Madrid had such options some time ago, as players like Asensio, Isco, James Rodriguez and Alvaro Morata all offered Zidane options from the bench, and it, therefore, came as no surprise that the club won the league that season.

Most of those players have departed, and have not been adequately replaced, leading to a dearth in squad depth, and if Solari is to succeed at the helm of Real Madrid, this shortcoming musty be addressed in the next transfer window.

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