Real Madrid have a deep, talented roster, but they need to make a few tweaks before they can return to being European football’s best team.
After a poor 2018-2019 season, Real Madrid are taking steps toward their next era of greatness without Cristiano Ronaldo. Los Blancos have assembled a deep roster with a great mix of veteran talent and rising stars, with more reinforcements set to join in the coming seasons.
In order to build a true juggernaut of a team, Real Madrid must look at examples of superstar from the past to identify areas of need and stylistic features within a starting XI that can help Los Blancos return to dominance in European football.
First and foremost, the club knows they need to sign a new primary scorer. Karim Benzema is still a great player at the age of 32, but his poor second half of the season was a reminder that he is not an ideal option to carry a team in the goals column.
Los Blancos still must replace Ronaldo’s goals, and while they cannot do so with one player – unless that player is Kylian Mbappe or Erling Haaland, with neither available until at least 2021 – they understand adding a high-scoring wide forward to link up with Benzema is ideal.
In Eden Hazard, Real have one world-class winger who can both score and create. Opposite of him, they have a massive question mark. Los Blancos’ most dominant teams had another athletic, high-scoring winger in Gareth Bale, but they were also dominant with the hard-working, creative Angel Di Maria.
If anyone can play the Di Maria role on the right, then it is Achraf Hakimi. Whereas Vinicius Junior has the ball-carrying, dribbling skills, and creativity to fill that role, he is at his best on the left. Hakimi, with 10 assists in the Bundesliga last season, can make things happen as a creator on the right, just as he becomes a potent scoring threat on the left.
Rodrygo Goes, who scored a perfect hat trick in the Champions League last season, has the upside to be a prolific scoring winger. But he isn’t quite there yet in his development. Marco Asensio‘s deadly left foot makes him an interesting option as as corer on the right and Isco can be a great creator, but neither have the pace on counterattacks. Their movement inside would task the slowing-down Dani Carvajal defensively due to the overlaps he’d have to make in the attack.
Speaking of the fullbacks, Real Madrid are at their best when they can give their wingers freedom to cut inside and score, interchanging with each other and Benzema. This movement inwards adds to Real’s goal threat, but it means the fullbacks must offer plenty in the attack.
Hakimi can do this at right back, at the expense of Carvajal’s superior defensive work. On the left, Ferland Mendy is a world-class fullback defensively, and while he’s still developing as an attacker, he can beat people one-on-one and is an improving passer. That said, Real Madrid still have Marcelo and the returning Sergio Reguilon, who was La Liga’s best attacking fullback in 2019-2020. They have fullbacks who can add plenty to the attack, including Carvajal, who was among the team’s leading assist providers last season.
Using a counterattacking approach, getting more from the wingers in the goals department, and supporting the attack with smart fullback play can help Real Madrid overcome their inability to sign Mbappe or Haaland this summer. But over the long term, they will need to add game-changing, scoring quality to their front three. Hopefully, Rodrygo can become that kind of a player shortly, too.