It’s safe to say that Real Madrid have had a challenging start to the season. In their opening 10 matches, they have failed to win four – the latest of those was on Wednesday, when Lille secured a priceless 1-0 victory in their Champions League clash with the reigning champions.
Los Blancos have also been unsuccessful in three La Liga matches, against Mallorca, Las Palmas and Atletico Madrid (all 1-1). Carlo Ancelotti’s side were expected to be even better with the summer arrivals of Kylian Mbappe and Endrick Felipe, but so far, this has not proven to be the case. If it were a lottery, the results would not be favourable – and if gambling is your choice, there are options to join an instant withdrawal casino.
Rather, it is the lack of signings that look like they could cost Real Madrid this season. Nacho Fernandez and Toni Kroos both departed during the summer, and neither was replaced by the club’s sporting department. Not only has this left Ancelotti short of options in central defence, but he has also struggled to fill the massive void that was left by Kroos’ retirement.
The failure to replace Nacho and Kroos is something that Ancelotti is ruing, and he expects his side to suffer, which they are doing already. The poor form could mean that signings are sought in January, although given how Real Madrid operate, it would be a surprise unless someone was desperately needed.
As a result, Real Madrid will just need to make do with what they have, and this will require Ancelotti to find a system that gets the best out of his players. He did it so brilliantly last season with the 4-4-2 set-up, but that has changed for this campaign with the arrival of Mbappe. A fluid 4-3-3 is utilised more often, but with this, they have suffered in midfield – Aurelien Tchouameni has felt the effect of this more than most, as he usually operates as the single pivot.
With the international break coming up, Ancelotti will be afforded more time to figure out how to get things right. It’s already become apparent that sheer firepower is not enough, as they are “only” averaging two goals per game so far this season – by comparison, Barcelona are clocking in at over three goals per match.
It remains to be seen how Real Madrid adapt going forward. A lot of work needs to be done, and they have very little squad depth because of injuries – although this situation is gradually improving. Given how they are, a turnaround is expected to happen, but it won’t happen easily.
By Alejandro Fernandez
