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Real Madrid has been the most dominant club in Europe in recent years, winning the Champions League title in each of the last three seasons, and four times in the last five years, as well as the FIFA Club World Cup in the last two years.
The club embarked on a new era following the departures of first Zinedine Zidane who resigned in May immediately after guiding Real to her third consecutive Champions League crown, and then record goalscorer Cristiano Ronaldo who departed the Spanish capital for Turin, swapping Real Madrid for Juventus in a record breaking deal after nine success laden years at the Bernabeu.
Things have however not gone to plan, as Los Blancos find themselves struggling for form, and more worryingly - goals, post Ronaldo.
The club began the new era with a loss in its first competitive fixture against Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup, and are currently on a four game winless streak.
Real Madrid is also on a shocking run in front of goal, as the record European champions have not found the back of the net in four consecutive matches, marking their longest run without a goal since 1985.
Consecutive 3-0 and 1-0 away losses to Sevilla and Alaves respectively in LaLiga as well as a 1-0 loss to CSKA Moscow in the Champions League has mounted the pressure on Julen Lopetegui, and there is already speculation that his job is on the line barely three months into his tenure.
This loss in form has put Real Madrid in the negative spotlight, as a club of its stature should not be struggling to score goals or win matches against inferior opposition.
A lot of prognosis has been made over why Real Madrid is struggling, as fans and pundits alike dissect the situation in a bid to find out the root cause of the problem. Here are six reasons why Real Madrid Is struggling at the moment.
#6 Bale has not stepped up since Ronaldo’s departure
Gareth Bale was signed as the most expensive player in history when Real Madrid bought him from Tottenham in 2013 after his captivating performances in the Premier League with the London team where he won two PFA Player of the Year awards, as well as one PFA Young Player of the Year award.
Since then, Bale has shown glimpses of his undoubted quality, but worryingly to Madrid fans, he hasn’t shown his abilities as frequently as his wages and transfer fees merit, as injuries and competition for places have limited Bale’s impact.
Bale is a player of undoubted world-class ability, and some of his performances such as his stunning overhead kick against Liverpool in last season’s UCL final, as well as his remarkable solo run past Marc Bartra in the 2014 Spanish Super Cup final were proof of his greatness.
However, the underlying belief by many was that the presence of Ronaldo in the same team as Bale was limiting the Welshman’s effectiveness, as Ronaldo was always going to be the player around whom the team was built.
Bale found playing time increasingly hard to come by, especially in the last two seasons, and voiced his displeasure at the situation after the Champions League triumph last May, with speculations linking him with a move away from Real Madrid.
As it happened, those speculations didn’t come to fruition, as Ronaldo departed, and the stage was set for Bale to become the symbol of this Real Madrid team, and show the world his immense abilities.
However, three months on from Ronaldo’s departure, and Gareth Bale is yet to truly fill in the substantially huge boots of Ronaldo. He has struggled to exert an influence on matches in the way that Ronaldo did during his nine year stay at the Bernabeu.
Real Madrid looked to Gareth Bale to be the new source of inspiration, and the man to lead the club into the future post-Ronaldo, but the 29-year-old has failed to deliver and step up to the plate. This failure on the part of Bale is undoubtedly a key factor in the struggles being experienced by Real at the moment.
#5 Injuries have been unkind to them
Injuries are a sad reality of a professional footballer’s life, as the rigors associated with the sport put the player’s bodies at risk of sustaining anything from minor to career threatening injuries.
No player or club is immune from its treacherous reach, and once injury strikes their players, they can only manage the situation with the players available.
Real Madrid has one of the best teams in world football, however, for all the brilliance of their first eleven, the squad depth of the club is rather poor for a team the stature of Real Madrid.
Injuries have been unfair to Julen Lopetegui this season, as he has had to without the services of at least seven key players at one point or the other this term.
At the moment, both first choice full-backs Marcelo and Dani Carvajal are out injured, robbing Real Madrid of width, which is an integral part of the club’s attacking arsenal.
In midfield, Isco is also out of the side, given time off to recover from an operation carried out for appendicitis, while Gareth Bale has already had a spell on the sidelines also.
The injuries to key Real Madrid players at this point in time is a very unfortunate situation that Lopetegui finds himself in, and it is a major reason why the club is suffering a dip in form at the moment.
#4 Asensio hasn’t made the progress expected of him
Marco Asensio announced himself on the world stage ahead of last season when he scored a wonder goal against Barcelona in the 2017 Spanish Super Cup final.
The youngster had earlier shown much promise on the fringes of the Real squad, including scoring a goal in the final of the 2017 Champions League against Juventus, but found much playing time hard to come by owing to the superior talent present in the Real Madrid dressing room.
He was another player who was expected to benefit from Ronaldo’s departure, as the Portuguese also operated from Asensio’s preferred wing, out on the left, and there was always only going to be only one selected of the two which was undoubtedly the former Real Madrid number 7.
Asensio has seen his role in the team increase greatly since Ronaldo departed, starting most of the club’s matches, but his impact has not been to the scale that was expected.
In seven LaLiga matches, the 22-year-old has scored just one goal, and he has been roundly criticised for his performances during Real’s recent poor run of form, especially against CSKA Moscow in the Champions League.
Marco Asensio is one of the players on whom the attacking burden of Real Madrid is placed, and even though he was not quite expected to hit the heights of Ronaldo, or at least not yet, it was believed that this would be the season where he would truly break out and become one of the world’s truly elite players, but so far, he hasn’t been living up to expectations.
#3 Julen Lopetegui
Lopetegui is a former Real Madrid goalkeeper who did not achieve much success during his playing days, before delving into management.
As a manager, the 53-year-old has fared only slightly better, with his biggest club job before the Real Madrid appointment being when he coached Portuguese giants Porto whom he led for two trophyless seasons, despite being handed the largest transfer budget in the club’s history.
He is yet to achieve any managerial honor, and was coach of the Spanish national side whom he had led for 21 matches unbeaten, before Real entered secret negotiations with him and announced his appointment two days to the commencement of the World Cup, which led to the termination of his appointment as Spain boss.
Lopetegui has been thrust into the biggest managerial post in world football, and his work was made much harder by the departure of Ronaldo, and injuries sustained. However, watching him on the sidelines shows that the Real job could just be bigger than a coach with the pedigree of Lopetegui.
#2 Karim Benzema
Benzema once had a reputation as one of the premier strikers in world football, and banged in goals for fun in the Real Madrid attack. The club benefited immensely from his service, as a truckload of trophies were won courtesy of his goals.
However, the Frenchman has faced criticism in recent years, owing to his dwindling numbers in goal returns, with particular scorn at his profligacy in front of goal.
The 31-year-old scored a measly 11 goals in all competitions last season, and this makes a mockery of the world class midfield service he receives.
The presence of Ronaldo covered up for his excesses, as the Portuguese was always on hand to score goals and bail Real Madrid out. Indeed many gave this as the reason why Benzema had suffered a dip in form, as they opined that he had unselfishly sacrificed his personal glory for his teammate to take up the spotlight.
Ronaldo’s departure meant that a huge source of Real Madrid’s goals left with him, and many expressed doubt that Benzema could be trusted to lead the Real attack in the Portuguese’s absence, and expected that the Frenchman would be sold.
However, the club decided to retain his services, and despite early promise when Benzema scored four goals in his first three matches of the season, he has fallen back into old habits, and has now gone seven games without finding the back of the net.
Without goals, games can’t be won, and for as long as Benzema continues to be a presence in the Real Madrid attack, goals would be hard to come by, as unfortunately he is no longer a premier striker, and Real would be better off seeking a replacement.
#1 The Ronaldo factor
This man’s name has been a recurring theme throughout this piece, and it is not difficult to see why, as in just nine years, the Madeira native exerted an influence so looming that getting out of his shadow was always going to be a tall order, if not downright impossible.
The 33-year-old is the club’s all-time record goalscorer in the league as well as the Champions League, and he has been the main reason for Real’s recent triumphs, particularly on the continent, as the Portuguese's super human prowess propelled the club to another level high above its contemporaries.
After his departure, a lot of players gave interviews where they expressed their feelings that the side would be more rounded and balanced as a team, but events unfolding have shown that to be nothing more than mere grandstanding.
It was always going to be difficult for Real Madrid to replace their legendary number 7, but his impact on the club’s fortunes was much more far reaching than he was given credit for, and without him in their ranks, Real Madrid’s struggles could well continue for some time yet.
