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Having won the UEFA Champions League again this season, the Los Blancos were looking as strong as ever. The reigning European Champions were ready to take on the new season, not realizing that their star player had different plans.
On the 11th of July, Ronaldo, one of the greatest ever players to play for Real Madrid, announced that he is leaving. And surprisingly, his decision was not to move back to his former club Manchester United, but he left for the Old Lady. The 5-time Balon'dOr winner moved to the Italian club for a fee of €112 million.
This has left the fans stunned, and Real Madrid has not yet found a player who could fill the enormous boots of Cristiano Ronaldo. Real Madrid's season commenced with a loss, as their direct-city rivals thrashed them 4 goals to 2 in the UEFA Super Cup. They clearly lacked strength up front. With Benzema out of form for some seasons now, Ronaldo has been doing the work of two strikers to carry the attacking unit since then.
Real Madrid's upcoming season seems to be beset with difficulties, for plenty of reasons. The Bernabeu outfit was linked to several upcoming stars, Hazard and Neymar being two of them. Will Real Madrid be able to compete at the highest level of football and pull off a great season without their talisman, no new proficient signings, and a manager who is yet to prove his worth in club-level football?
Let's analyze their chances.
Strengths:
Despite the fact that they lack strength in their attacking unit, their midfield and defence look robust. The trio of Toni Kroos, Casemiro and Modric in the midfield are the reason why they have been winning the UEFA Champions League like pre-season games. Three in a row for the Los Blancos under Zinedine Zidane; a feat no club has ever achieved.
Even Madridistas are ruling out their chances to win the Champions League this season. However, there are reasons in abundance on why the Los Blancos are not to be written off just yet.
#3 Defence
A team with a defence line-up of Marcelo, Ramos, Varane and Dani Carvajal is never to be ruled off. It is pretty clear that the duo of Varane and Ramos are the reason for Real Madrid's success over Europe in the previous seasons.
Ramos has cemented his place as one of the best defenders across the world, or even the world's best. He is arguably one of the most consistent players for the Los Blancos and never disappoints when appointed with a challenging task. He has pocketed the best of best strikers, and the 32-year-old only seems to be improving with time.
Not only has he contributed as a defender, but he has been no less than any attacker when it comes to scoring from set-pieces. His last-minute headers are a feast for the eyes and he has always been an aerial threat to the teams defending against him.
His wise sense of knowledge and experience in this field is the reason why he has established himself as the greatest defender ever to play for The Whites.
His partner-in-crime Varane has been equally responsible for the team's success. The 2018 Balon'dOr winner is on his way to write his name in Real Madrid's history, already winning three UEFA Champions League at just the age of 25.
#2 Experienced Full-backs
Coming to the full-back pairing of Marcelo and Dani Carvajal, it is almost hilarious that the pundits and fans are writing off a team like Real Madrid, whose defence is still as amazing as ever.
Carvajal and Marcelo are the best fullbacks in the world currently, as the balance they bring to the squad is incredible. Carvajal is immensely underrated. For the work rate and stability he offers, he deserves to be rated quite high amongst other right backs.
The 26-year-old Spanish international has always been a threat on the right wing, as his inch-perfect crosses and breakneck pace has often troubled the defence. And along with the ever-smiling Marcelo, Real Madrid pulling off a sensational season does not look out of the box.
#1 Reliable Midfield
If somebody asks you which is the best midfield duo in the world currently, which two midfielders would you name? Yes, the first name which popped in your mind must be 'Luka Modric.' The Croatian maestro is undoubtedly the best midfielder in the world, and deservingly enough, he has won the Golden Ball in the FIFA World Cup 2018.
One must never rule out a team which have excellent midfielders like Kroos, Casemiro and Modric. Though Kroos didn't have a convincing World Cup campaign, his stunning freekick goal against Sweden is still as fresh in people's mind and he is a player who can always be relied on. The German has had the best seasons of his life at the Bernabeu, and he must be looking to continue his extraordinary form for several more seasons.
The workhorse Casemiro is often disrespected for his game style, but what people forget to notice is that is how he contributes to the team. He does the dirty work and this helps the forwards to attack freely, without the fear of getting dispossessed. If there is a CDM as good as Busquets, it is Casemiro. Busquets is levels above when it comes to understanding the game, but Casemiro is a different player altogether if compared to Busi. The reason he is played over Kovacic or other midfielders is that of the vital tackles and interceptions he produces, and some infrequent beautiful goals too.
Real Madrid's midfield is as splendid as ever, and the Whites are still a top contender for the Champions League this season.
Weaknesses:
Real Madrid has been completely dependent on Ronaldo in almost every UCL game. It is almost comical but startling at the same time that a top-tier team like Real Madrid are depending on a 33-year-old for goals. Domestic games have been a disaster for Ronaldo, but his form has touched the highest level of football in the Champions League.
However, Ronaldo will be no more playing for the Whites and probably, he will be playing against them someday this season. It's clear that Real Madrid lacks an out-and-out striker and this seems to be a snag for the Los Blancos. Well, there are several other factors as to why Real Madrid have comparatively fewer chances than the year before to win some silverware.
#3 Squad Depth
Real Madrid has been lacking squad depth since the last season, as important players like Morata and James Rodriguez were sold and loaned out respectively. Nonetheless, Real Madrid under Zinedine Zidane still won the Champions League.
One can claim that their likelihood of winning the UCL grew because of the fact that Zidane didn't deploy much of his first team players in Copa Del Rey games. Since they lost against Leganes in the CDR quarter-finals, who finished 17th in the league last season, it would not be grossly wrong to say that either.
Real Madrid finished the league 15 points behind Barcelona last season, and the competition to win the league was between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid as RMA were nowhere in the picture. They were far behind Barcelona, though they finished the league quite close to Atleti.
Loaning out Kovacic was certainly not a wise decision by the transfer team, as there is no one in the squad who could provide a bit of competition to Casemiro. The Croatian joins the team of Morata and James, who also left a winning club like Madrid in search of more game time. Sounds fair, as Kovacic is entering his prime years and he would not want that to be wasted on the bench. Kovacic is a player of great quality, and he will be wishing for a starting place in the Croatian team for the Euros 2020.
There is zero competition for the first team players in Real Madrid, and this could be a vindicate for the team's lacklustre performances in the future.
#2 New coach and New tactics
Julen Lopetegui is a tactical genius, and his game is based on possession, contrary to that of Real Madrid's.
Los Blancos have been playing a game of pacy counter-attacks, with not having much possession of the ball. Real Madrid's game has been unvarying for years, and their counter-attacking football is the most lethal in all of Europe. They are arguably the best at what they do, and no team comes close.
However, their game under Julen might change. Real Madrid has players who can be tuned to the type of system Julen wants to deploy. The team has a wealth of high-quality midfielders.
Leaders like Luka Modric, Isco, and Toni Kroos will serve as the engines of the team. With the current midfield, these tactics will come to fruition rather sooner than the fans expect.
The midfield duo of Kroos and Modric will play a paramount role in Julen's system, and their control and passing abilities are as amazing as ever.
#1 Injury-prone Winger
Many might think why I have put a single player's inability to stay fit as a weakness of Real Madrid as a whole. Well, that is because there hasn't been a winger as good as Bale for the Los Blancos since the time he has moved to the Bernabeu.
Bale left Tottenham Hotspurs for a fee of €91 million, higher than that of Ronaldo's transfer fee, and the Welshman was supposed to be the heir to Ronaldo.
However, his inability to stay fit and contribute to the team on a regular basis has cost Real Madrid quite a lot of games. Bale is the best player on the pitch when he plays, as his blistering pace and pinpoint accuracy has often won games for the Los Blancos.
Gareth Bale was pretty close to leaving the Bernabeu as a result of lack of game time and complications with Zinedine Zidane, but before he could leave, Zidane announced his decision to leave the club. Bale under Julen can blossom rapidly, as the Welshman is a good passer of the ball and he runs past defenders with ease on the right wing.
Bale has always often been sidelined for important games and the job to attack through the right wing is repeatedly taken by Modric and Carvajal. If Bale can remain fit for a whole season, at least, Real Madrid's attack will be s. But that does not look feasible.
