Three takeaways from Real Madrid’s draw against Levante
By Alex McVey
Time to clean house?
Something has got to give. Real Madrid are now in the midst of a historically bad season, just half a year after completing one of the best seasons in club history. The tolerance for failure in the Spanish capital is low, so we can be sure that big changes will be afoot for next season.
A number of the players that helped Zidane establish his place as Madrid coaching legend are now beginning to look complacent. Despite scoring Madrid’s opener, Sergio Ramos has looked a far cry from his former self. As David Cartlidge notes, Ramos’ defensive frailties are being continually exploited, and the heroics that once allowed him to paper over those deficiencies no longer seem quite so appealing.
Been an issue for years but his goals, heroics have covered it up. Sergio Ramos still thinks he’s 25 and can switch off, catch up + recover in games when out of position. He’s kidding himself.
— David Cartlidge (@davidjaca) February 3, 2018
Another player who has looked a shadow of their best self of late is Toni Kroos. While Kroos is always the first to post defiant statuses about the team’s resilience and desire to keep fighting on social media, that desire simply has not been evident in his performances on the pitch. One of the things that has made Kroos a contender for top central midfielder in the world year-after-year is his two-way intelligence. But Kroos of 2017-2018 seems to lack some of the hustle and bustle we have seen from him previously.
Finally, we arrive at the issue of Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo has been struggleboating hard this season, and despite glimpses here and there of the fine form that pushed Ronaldo to another Balon d’Or last season, he has simply not been up to snuff. Ronaldo received a few brilliant passes in the center, but either launched the ball into the sky or lightly pushed the ball into the keeper’s arms. Ronaldo’s shooting has taken a huge dip, and the match against Levante was no exception.
These players are not the only ones who failed last night. But those three performances stood out to me as examples of players who once defined Madrid’s success, that may now exemplify their failure.
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Ramos, Kroos, and Ronaldo are players who have won absolutely everything there is to win in world football. One has to wonder whether complacency might be beginning to set in for some of Madrid’s biggest stars. While all the focus has been on Zidane’s job security, perhaps Florentino Perez needs to be thinking carefully about cleaning out the dressing room next season.