It has not been an easy start to the season for Real Madrid, with three draws from four away games in La Liga, and a host of injuries for Carlo Ancelotti to deal with. In addition, the departure of Toni Kroos, combined with the arrival of Kylian Mbappe, appears to have fundamentally altered the face of this side.
Many thought that even with the exit of Kroos, the firepower added by Mbappe would mean a relatively comfortable title race, with Barcelona unable to address many of their issues in the transfer market. Despite being heavy favourites for the title with sites like 1xBet India, the early form from the Catalans and their own issues suggest that it might not be as straightforward as expected.
Already there is talk of major reinforcements to their squad for next summer, which begs the question, where exactly should Los Blancos look first next summer? Several positions stand out as potentially needing reinforcement.
The recent season-ending injury to Dani Carvajal has highlighted the need for a right-back to be added. The veteran defender has been one of the best about over the last two years, but turning 33 next season, and with his back up Lucas Vazquez already there, fresh blood at the position seems a must in the near future – especially with no guarantees on how Carvajal will look when he returns.
Meanwhile David Alaba is still recovering from a serious injury of his own, 11 months on from his knee ligament tear. Los Blancos pursued Leny Yoro over the summer, but after missing out, Carlo Ancelotti has been left with just Antonio Rudiger and Eder Mililtao as options that he trusts without playing someone else out of position.
The aforementioned absence of Kroos has certainly had a major impact too, with Los Blancos feeling initially that they had the pieces to take care of the middle of the pitch without him. Two months into the new season, Carlo Ancelotti has struggled to find the right balance though, albeit dealing with injuries to Eduardo Camavinga, Dani Ceballos and Jude Bellingham.
Finally, in the frontline Ancelotti has plenty of firepower, but the reality is that all three of the largest stars, Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo Goes and Mbappe, prefer to operate off the left. A top number nine or a specialist right-winger would likely make more sense of the attack, although it would mean dropping one of those above.
Ultimately, all of the above represent significant problems. It seems difficult for Real Madrid to challenge without a top right-back, and to challenge most immediately, that might be the weak point in their XI. However with the age of Luka Modric, and lack of Kroos, long-term there is no doubt the lack of a natural controller in the middle of the pitch is likely to cause the biggest issues.
