There is no doubt that Real Madrid is one of the biggest clubs in the world. Home to of the biggest names in football, Madrid have garnered a huge fan following. Real Madrid is a club with a rich history, a number of titles and some highly skilled players who were the best in the business. The club has always been successful in signing big players, who went on and made a name for themselves in the world of European football.
Los Galacticos enjoyed a fantastic 2011-12 season, exceeding all their expectations. Los Merengues had created history in the 2011-12 season by creating number of records, including 100 points in a single season, a record 121 goals scored and a goal difference of +89, along with a record 16 away wins and 32 overall wins. The club was already over delighted after the achievements.
However, the 2012-2013 season was one of the worst transfer seasons for the club. They signed Premier League midfielders such as Luka Modric and Michael Essien from Spurs and Chelsea respectively. Later during the winter, they brought in Diego Lopez for injured Casillas.
But there was something improper right at the start of the season. The players were not passionate and did not have the same desire as last season. They faced a bad start, drawing the opening game against Valencia and then lost to Getafe. Meanwhile, rivals Barca had won both their games and grabbed a lead of five points with just two games into the season.
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Cristiano Ronaldo put on some stellar performances but did not celebrate his goal in a particular match. It seemed clear that Ronaldo was unhappy with the club. The Portuguese talisman had just lost out to Andres Iniesta for the European footballer of the year award and comments by teammates that Casillas was their choice for the Ballon d’Or over him furthered left him annoyed. There were also rumours about a spat between him and Casillas. It led to a period of instability at the club in which Real Madrid further lost points after a defeat to Sevilla and drawing to Barcelona, from which they never truly recovered.
Despite Ronaldo’s consistent performances and leading the score chart for his team, they took some matches against bottom placed teams lightly which further affected their title hopes. By December, the chance of claiming the La Liga was already dented.
Mismanagement of players at the club
The mismanagement of talent was another reason why Real Madrid endured a horrible season. With a bench consisting of the most powerful players such as Ricardo Kaka, Luka Modric, Jose Callejon and Ricardo Carvalho; Jose Mourinho did not utilise them well. Despite having a creative playmaker like Kaka, known for his capacity to glide past opponents and provide key passes, Mourinho did not get the Brazilian involved. Jose Mourinho always considered him less important before Mesut Ozil, Di Maria and Callejon despite his price tag being very high.
New signing Luka Modric, who shined at Spurs last season was signed to added spark to the midfield. But regardless of his traits as a brilliant attacking midfielder Mourinho deployed him in the central midfield role for most of the games.
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Los Blancos did not have an organised back line for the entire season. Sergio Ramos put up some decent display at the back, but his aggressiveness landed Real Madrid in trouble on many occasions. Ricardo Carvalho who was loaded with experience along with being a calm and composed defender, was not used as a back-up when Pepe was injured. They could not stick with a permanent left back for most of the season due to injuries to Marcelo and Fabio Coentrao. But despite the availability of youth players such as Nacho Fernandez and Jorge Casado, Mourinho opted for players like Michael Essien, Alvaro Arbeloa and Jose Callejon.
Players gain experience only with more playing time but Mourinho had other plans. The replacements in left wing proved to be inefficient and it badly affected their defence. Mourinho never seemed to impose enough trust in the youth players. Apart from Iker Casillas, no other player has got into the first team directly and cemented his place. Given how rivals Barcelona’s youth academy produce great talent, Madridistas also wished their club to carry the same culture, but they never did.
Poor relations with players
Mourinho also did not share a special relation with the players. Differences between Casillas and Mourinho badly damaged the club’s image. Things got worse between them when Mourinho stated that second choice keeper Adan was better than Casillas. And after Casillas fractured his hand, Real Madrid were forced to buy a new goalkeeper. They purchased Diego Lopez, a former academy graduate, who established his place with his brilliant saves. Even when Casillas was declared fit, Lopez continued to be the first choice goalkeeper and that further frustrated Casillas.
After the record-breaking La Liga campaign last year, Los Blanco failed up to fulfil any of its expectations this season. They finished as runners-up in La Liga, managing to win only 23 matches compared to 32 last season. They also let in more goals due to a back line which was incoherent. They faced an exit from the Champions League after losing to Borussia Dortmund 3-4 on aggregate, not to forget their 4-1 loss at the Signal Iduna Park. Real Madrid did reach the final of the Copa del Rey but were knocked out by city rivals Atletico Madrid.
The Special One could not handle the pressure to win trophies apart from having a bad relation with the players and being marred with innumerable controversies. Real Madrid’s overconfidence, tactical blunders and the inability to make any defensive signings was the upshot to their disappointing season.
Madridistas will be very keen on watching how the new season goes about for them. They had a brilliant last season, winning the La Decima and missing out as La Liga champions just a point behind Barcelona. Manager Zinedine Zidane has managed to uplift the team after an unpleasant start by manager Rafa Benitez. They have a quality squad to win any trophy they want. They have brought Alvaro Morata to the Bernabeu to add firepower to the attack. Zidane has also impressed everyone at the club and the fans, and will look forward to carry the momentum.
