'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
In the summer of 2009, Madrid bought Kaka, Benzema, and Ronaldo, only one of them went on to become a Madrid legend. When he joined Real Madrid, Ronaldo was already a Champions League and Ballon d'Or winner but still, nobody would have imagined when he would leave Madrid 8 seasons later, it would be after scoring 451 goals for the club. Whatever be the motivations of Ronaldo and Madrid in going through with the transfer to Juventus, Ronaldo has left and he will have to be replaced. Specifically, the goals that Ronaldo scored will have to be replaced. It is an unenviable task. Barcelona will be watching closely for there will come a day when they will have to replace Messi. But right now it is Madrid's job to replace their talisman.
There were only a few players of the Madrid pedigree available in this transfer market who could have replaced Ronaldo. Harry Kane, Neymar, Mbappe and Hazard and for one reason or the other Madrid has failed to sign them. So Madrid is stuck with Benzema, a talented striker who doesn't score much, Bale a talented winger who has already scored some memorable goals in his Madrid career but doesn't remain fit enough, Asensio a talented young player who is inconsistent. This is not a bad bunch of attacking players, but even together they don't inspire the same level of confidence that Ronaldo did. He was a leader, one the team looked up to when they needed goals. They have lost their attacking pole star and Real Madrid needs to reorient themselves.
For the time when Ronaldo was in Madrid, the team was set up to get the maximum out of his unique talents. Now they will have to find a different way to play. Madrid will really be hoping that Benzema is a much better goal scorer than his stats suggest and now that Ronaldo has left he will be unshackled by no more being responsible for the defensive burden that he had to carry in lieu of Ronaldo. He should not be dropping deep as he usually does because there is no Ronaldo to take advantage of that space now. He needs to be in the opposition penalty area more. Asensio needs to let go of the inconsistencies of the youth and take the next big step in his career development. He has shown he has tricks comparable to that of Ronaldo but will he be there at the right place at the right time to score those tap-ins. It is not his game. Gareth Bale, the knight from the British Isle, the king in waiting, would have left Madrid if Ronaldo hadn't. But as luck would have it, he is the only Galactico left now. He will now have to rise up to the challenge. The biggest challenge for him would be to stay fit for the whole season. For that matter, the trio of Benzema, Bale, and Asensio all need to be fit because Madrid no longer boasts a great squad depth. If anything happens to front three, Lucas Vazquez and Mayoral are the backups. That is huge a drop down in attacking quality from the starting lineup.
The departure of Ronaldo makes the Madrid midfield, their most quality packed area of the team. In Casemiro, Modric, Kroos, and Isco, their midfield can dominate a game. Modric has to be in the running for Ballon d'Or this year. His ability to get away from opponents in tight positions is second to none, Kroos will help control the game and Casemiro will help wrest back the control but this has to be the season of Isco. In Julen Lopetegui, he has a manager who trusts him and will play a possession-based style that will suit his playing style. This team can be built around the talents of Isco. If he takes on more responsibility, the attacking trident of Asensio, Bale, and Benzema will become much more potent. Isco has all the technical tools to be the talisman of this team, this season will show if he has the personality to match.
Real Madrid was only the 6th best defense in La Liga last season. Their back four of Ramos, Varane, Marcelo, and Carvajal looks very good on paper but was often left exposed. Varane and Ramos should be a world class pairing but somehow the output of the pairing is less than the sum of its parts. Both are good one-vs-one defenders, agile, good in the air, good on the ball but something is amiss. It will be one of the challenges of the Lopetegui to get the maximum out of this partnership. Marcelo is a wonderfully gifted attacking left-back, is a decent one-on-one defender but has no sense of positional discipline at all. Although, this season he should be getting more help in defensive duties from whoever plays the left wing for Madrid. Carvajal has been one of the most consistent players for Madrid. He is one of the best fullbacks in the world at this moment. He is another player who needs to improve his injury situation to truly become one of the elite players. The goalkeeping situation at Madrid has improved, Courtouis will provide a presence in the penalty area when defending set pieces. Madrid of last two seasons looked very vulnerable from set pieces, so that should be an improvement. But overall this defense needs to work as a unit and concede less than before, maybe this way they can offset some of the goals that Ronaldo would have scored.
Lets now talk about the Achilles heel of this Madrid team, their squad depth. Over the last 3-4 seasons, Madrid has lost squad players and not replaced them. Alvaro Morata, James Rodriguez, Pepe, Angel DiMaria, Kovacic immediately come to mind. These players have become starters at other clubs. Imagine this, the first choice backup to each player in Madrid back four is Nacho. It's not unimaginable to think of a scenario when Ramos is suspended and Carvajal or Varane are injured. Madrid doesn't have depth in defense. With the juggling of game time between Isco, Kroos, and Modric, the creative side of midfield can be managed but Madrid doesn't have a like for like replacement for Casemiro. Casemiro's defensive duties allow Modric and Kroos to flourish in the midfield. In his absence, I can't see anybody else doing the dirty work effectively. Vazquez and Mayoral are back up to the Madrid frontline, nobody is expecting many goals from them certainly. Real need to buy some quality backup options quickly.
Julen Lopetegui, the manager, will have the most impatient set of supporters backing him this summer. The Madrid supporters are on a high of the most successful era in the modern Madrid history. Anything less than a UCL semi-final and sustained La-Liga challenge will be deemed a failure. What he has going for him is an attacking playing style suited for both his team and the crowd. He will have to improve the current players and turn them from pretenders into contenders. Both Atletico and Barcelona have improved their squad, Madrid has stayed still at best. His job is tough and he needs to find a new King, Madridistas demand one.
