Real Madrid seem to be stumbling after a 1-0 loss to Mallorca and an unconvincing victory over Galatasaray, but Los Blancos are still in a good shape.
The standards are always high when discussing Real Madrid, so anything other than a convincing victory against weaker opponents is a sign that something is wrong. Upsets happen, but Real Madrid have had three letdown performances in October.
First, they tied Club Brugge 2-2, needing a furious comeback to rescue a point against a subpar Champions League side. After the international break, Real lost 1-0 to Mallorca, who had only been recently promoted back to La Liga. Then Real defeated Galatasaray on the road 1-0 for a hard-fought – and crucial – victory, but the uneven performance still left a sour taste in the mouths of fans.
Real Madrid spent around 300 million euros this summer to make upgrades, and they have honestly only seen real returns from left back Ferland Mendy and center back Eder Militao – neither of whom have been consistent starters either due to injury or the veterans in front of them on the roster. Meanwhile, Luka Jovic has been anonymous, Eden Hazard has been “good” but not “great”, and Zinedine Zidane is only just starting to trust Rodrygo.
But when so many new players are joining a team with a manager who only recently took charge again, it’s fair to instill a “grace” period. It’s also not like Real bought many superstar players this summer – only Hazard counts as a big-ticket transfer who was expected to be a star in 2019-2020. The others, such as Rodrygo and Jovic, are stars for the future. Contrast that to the moves Barcelona made – namely Antoine Griezmann – and Real have more of a reason for a slow start than their rivals.
Even with the missteps, Real are still second in their Champions League group, which would be good enough to advance to the knockout stages. They are currently second in La Liga, which is a strong spot for a team that isn’t clicking yet.
Real Madrid’s poor performances have often come when rotating players, dealing with injuries, or not playing an ideal starting XI because of players returning from injury. There’s almost no way Real’s injury crisis can get any worse going forward. Furthermore, Real are notorious slow starters who tend to kick things into high gear in the winter and spring.
That means Real’s best days are ahead of them. Zidane is figuring out what works with his new roster and what doesn’t. Slowly but surely, key players like Hazard are starting to gel into the team. Others are returning to health, such as Ferland Mendy. And most importantly, young stars of the future like Rodrygo and Fede Valverde are beginning to assert themselves as key players; Valverde is a must-start and Rodrygo is starting to state his case, too.
Los Blancos will finish October with a match against Leganes, and while it’s the type of matchup they’ve taken lightly before, they won’t take anything for granted in these types of games going forward. They will have a renewed focus heading into November with better squad depth, a more cohesive team, and ambitions at playing to their true potential. Real don’t have the strongest squad in the Champions League or even in La Liga, but they are ready to have a successful campaign that simultaneously sets a foundation for the future.