Is Real Madrid really rebuilding?
Real Madrid had a terrible season during the 2018/2019 campaign and after going through a managerial change after things failed with Julen Lopetegui and his replacement Santiago Solari, the club was able to bring back the main man who has been able to create history as Zinedine Zidane was announced only nine months after his departure. With all this change, is the club really rebuilding?
In his press conference, he promised changes and judging by the way things are looking with less than a month left in the transfer window, we haven’t really seen too much.
So far, the club have been able to sign one player who will be part of the starting lineup right away and that’s Eden Hazard. Other than that, Rodrygo Goes, and Takefusa Kubo are way too young to start for the team while Ferland Mendy and Luka Jovic have been brought in as back-ups to Marcelo and Karim Benzema.
Eder Miliato will sit with Nacho as backups to the current central defensive pair of Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane. To add fuel to the fire, the club has sold their back-up defensive midfielder Marcos Llorente to Atletico Madrid as they now seem to be starting the campaign with only one natural player in that spot with Carlos Casemiro.
Looking at the way things have been going in preseason, Zidane is very clearly trusting the “old-guard” that were able to win three consecutive UEFA Champions League titles, but there is no denying that they are not the same players anymore.
The determination and hunger has not been seen from them for over a year while players such as Marcelo and Luka Modric have drastically dropped in form. Yet, Zizou will be using them consistently and it doesn’t look like anyone can change his mind.
It’s true that the transfer window has not yet closed and as Zidane stated after the Tottenham Hotspur loss, “things can change up until August 31.” That time is running out, however out and certain players that were reportedly on Real Madrid’s radar such as Tanguy Ndombele and Joao Felix have found new clubs.
The conversation recently has either been about Gareth Bale leaving the club or that the club wanting to bring in Paul Pogba from Manchester United.
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Without taking anything away from Zidane’s previous accomplishments as Real Madrid’s manager and also not overreacting to preseason results, it’s looking as though we will not be seeing much change in the upcoming season other than possibly tactical tweaks.
Unfortunately, tactical changes are not enough and a majority of the Real Madrid fans were genuinely hoping to see some big changes in the team. If Pogba arrives, he will be a starter, but other than that we really shouldn’t expect anything else.
On paper, the team looks absolutely incredible but those games are not won on paper. Marcelo has proven himself to be a liability over the majority of the past year while Modric simply does not have enough fuel in the tank to come out with a consistent performance. Dani Carvajal has been extremely worrying at times but he’s young enough to overcome these obstacles.
Karim Benzema has merited his place in the starting eleven after a wonderful season while the partnership of Ramos and Varane has seen more harm than good. Toni Kroos is someone we need and even with shocking rumors on whether he should be at the club or not, he has renewed his contract and still has a lot to offer the team.
Lucas Vazquez is a great player to have off the bench but he is not good enough to start in the team and with Vinicius Junior showing his capabilities last season, it is looking like Los Blancos don’t need the Spaniard much anymore.
The debate between Keylor Navas and Thibaut Courtois continues to go on with Courtois apparently the chosen one to start while the Costa Rican will not back down without a fight.
Isco could be chosen as a starter but he’s been very inconsistent and even though he’s extremely talented, Zidane needs someone who will always be able to show up. Nacho Fernandez has declined dramatically in the past year and has shown that he is not someone we as fans can really count on this season while the rest of the bench players have to fight for a place in a team that Zidane blindly trusts.
Next. Real Madrid’s Eden Hazard will feature on the cover of FIFA 20. dark
This is an extremely worrying start to the campaign and even though we could potentially have a team that will fight for every title, I simply do not see it at the moment.
Real Madrid’s defensive struggles are still apparent, the problems in front of goal are obvious, and the failure to control the middle of the pitch has actually gotten worse. Can this all be changed? Definitely.
That being said, it cannot be done with the current players and we Madridistas need to face the fact that the transfer window will end soon.
I still trust Zidane as the manager and will continue to do so until the official matches begin, although that does not mean that I shouldn’t be worried. I am and so is a large part of our fan base.
The good news? If the manager proves us wrong, the preseason and the lack of massive changes in the squad will be forgotten, but that’s easier said than done.