La Liga 2019/2020: Ideal attacking combination for Real Madrid next season

Real Madrid's pre-season fixtures have not been going to plan, as they failed to win any of their three matches in regular time, with Atletico's 7-3 thumping being the bedrock.

With less than three weeks to go until the start of next season, Zinedine Zidane would be working round the clock to get his side ticking as they bid to return to the zenith of European and domestic football.

One area which the Frenchman would be working on the most is the front line, and a working formula in attack is a requisite for Real Madrid to achieve their aim.

Once famed for their ability to bang in goals with reckless abandon, Los Blancos struggled horribly in front of goal last season, hitting two-decade lows with the fugues they posted.

Ronaldo's departure and the club's failure to replace him were major reasons for the ineffectiveness in attack and this is a mistake the club was keen to rectify.

They have done that, spending in excess of €200m to bring Eden Hazard, Luca Jovic, and Brazilian teenager Rodrygo to the Bernabeu and the trio along with those already at the club would be expected to play their part in leading the line in Real's march for glory.

There is no doubt that the current Real Madrid attacking roster is one of the best in the world, but having the right materials is one thing and putting them to effective use is an entirely different matter.

In this piece, we shall be highlighting the players most likely to feature in attack for Real Madrid next season.

Eden Hazard - Left-Wing Forward

Real Madrid will hope Hazard can replicate and replace Ronaldo on the

left wing

While it might be impossible to replace Cristiano Ronaldo with anybody apart from Messi, Eden Hazard's Real Madrid arrival would some way to cushioning the effect of the record goal scorer's departure.

Though not famed for his proficiency in front of goal, Eden Hazard is still a decent goalscorer, evidenced by his 21 goal return in all competitions for Chelsea last season.

The Belgian international however makes up for that with extraordinary creativity, and his ability to beat his man and launch counter-attacks is second to none.

This trait would come in very handy for a Real Madrid side that looked short of pace on far too many occasions last season, while his directness would inject urgency into the Madrid attack.

Hazard would most likely be deployed in his favoured position out wide on the left wing where he can cut into his stronger right foot or cutback for his teammates.

His versatility, however, means that he can be deployed in a number of other positions, including dropping back into midfield as a left-winger if need be, or playing through the middle as a false nine as he has done on occasion.

Karim Benzema/Luca Jovic - Center-Forward

Benzema would be expected to lead the line for Real Madrid once again

Karim Benzema joined Real Madrid in the summer of 2009 as a highly rated youngster and in the last decade has become a bonafide club legend at the Bernabeu.

For his part, Luka Jovic had a dream season with Frankfurt the last term and was rewarded with a mega transfer to Real Madrid, but so far, he has yet to show what he is capable of, as he was substituted barely 10 minutes into the match against Arsenal, while injury forced him off after 24 minutes against Atletico Madrid.

The former is a firm Zidane favourite, and was unarguably Real Madrid's best-performing player last season and would definitely get minutes.

Luka Jovic is however very highly thought of, and given his huge transfer fee would also feature heavily.

The conundrum, however, comes if Zidane decides to stick to the lone striker system associated with him throughout his managerial career.

This would see one of Benzema or Jovic dropped, and the high trust in the Frenchman means that he would most likely get the bod ahead of the Serbian.

Although there's been no word yet on the seriousness of Jovic's injury, this could also have an impact on deciding who gets the central striking berth.

An alternative could see Zizou start with both men in an unorthodox 4-4-2 system, with Jovic playing in his preferred position just behind the striker.

This formation would see Real Madrid scrap the wing forward position in favour of more traditional wingers and this might not really suit the abilities of their wide players.

Vinicius Jr - Right Wing Forward

Big things are expected of Vinicius in the coming years

Last season was Vinicius' first at the Bernabeu and while he might have started poorly, the 18-year-old ended the campaign as one of Real Madrid's best performers.

The former Flamengo man has been pencilled down as one of the teenagers who could take the world by storm next season and if Real Madrid is to reach the heights expected, then the Brazilian could play a role in getting them that high.

With Eden Hazard's arrival, the Belgian was guaranteed of a spot on the left flank of attack, meaning that Vinicius had to battle it out with at least four other wingers for a starting berth on the right-wing.

Fortune has however favoured him, as a number of factors have played out during preseason to his advantage.

Marco Asensio who was the player most likely to provide the sternest competition for a starting spot recently tore his ACL muscle against Arsenal and has been ruled out for a long time (ostensibly for the rest of next season).

Brahim Diaz also pulled up with a knock that would keep him out for about a month, Gareth Bale is all but out of the club, seemingly on his way to China to become the highest-paid player in history while Lucas Vazquez has been nothing more than a backup player for the entirety of his Madrid career.

Big things were expected from Vinicius when he arrived at the Bernabeu and given the increased role he would likely play next season, 2019/2020 might be when he truly cements his legacy.

So there you have it, folks. These are the three men most likely to feature in attack for Real Madrid next season; but just for a graphical presentation, the pictorials beneath illustrate better.

Zidane is most likely to go with three at the front with Hazard and Vinicius flanking Benzema or Jovic

Or he could elect to start with both Jovic and Benzema in a 4-4-2